Lovely America
by Isuzu-Hanabi-Chan
Summary: Tohru and the gang get to go to America. Will love blossom among them? What kind of adventures await them? CHAPTER 14 UPDATE
1. Momiij's Announcement

**CHAPTER ONE: Momiji's Announcement**

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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket, but you knew that. So I'll only say it once.**

Tohru is singing a cheery song while folding the laundry. What a pleasant day! The sun was shining and she noticed an improvement in the Sohma boys' attitude. Of course they had their fights, and she was relieved that they did but the number of these fights were slowly trickling away. She was so glad they were making efforts for her, she just couldn't help but smile.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" Tohru says as she runs to the door. As soon as she opens the door, a boy about her height wrings himself around her neck and instantly transforms into a little rabbit.

"Hello Momiji!" She says, laughing. She could not be much happier.

"HI TOHRUUUU! While I was walking to your house, I saw this realllly nice flower, and it was pink, and it reminded me a lot of you," he said "so I picked it and brought it for you!" he handed her the flower in question.

"Ohhh Momiji! Thank you, I'm _so _happy!" Tohru was just so happy, she began to cry tears of pure joy. An instant later though, she had to turn around fast, because a cloud of smoke appeared which meant Momiji had turned into a human again. He quickly went to change. Momiji looked sad. "Tohru, did I do something bad…?" He questioned, holding her hand affectionately. This just made Tohru sob louder, for it made her thankful she had such careful, caring friends. Kyo appeared in the entrance hallway with a look of anger on his face.

" MOMIJI, WHAT DID YOU DO TO TOHRU…" He said, lifting the young rabbit by the collar of his frilly blouse.

"Oh no no! Kyo-kun, Momiji has done nothing wrong at all! He has just made me so happy… I just started crying. I'm sorry to have worried you, kyo-kun…"

Kyo was taken aback by this, he was certain Momiji had said something hurtful… Not that that was like him and it wasn't like Tohru didn't cry a lot and-

Well. Kyo dropped Momiji on the floor and turned as red as a beet for he had, once again showed too much concern for Tohru. Why was it that he felt this way for her?

" KYO-KUN, why are you so meannnnnn… Tohru, he hurt meee…" Momiji cried. Kyo then observed Tohru laugh with Momiji on the entranceway rug. Why did he feel this way? What was it that she had that other people did not?

"So erm… Momiji-kun, why have you come here?" Kyo asked, blushing at the thought of all this Tohru business.

"WELL… I'll tell you! Because it's really an interesting story. So, last Friday, I was walking down a really crowded street with Hatsuharu after school. We bought some ramen noodles for Hatsuharu's house because he likes those and he didn't have any left and ohh it was so much fun, we" Momiji was suddenly interrupted by Kyo.

"Momiji, you came all this way, on a perfectly nice Saturday that I could spend doing anything else than listen to you to tell me about some ramen noodles that you bought for Hatsuharu!" He yelled.

"… It's only because you want to hog Tohru! I know it!" Momiji replied near tears. Kyo reddened.

"No it's not!" He screamed at him. Tohru looked completely lost.

"Tohhruuuu… Tell him to let me finishhh my storyyy… He's meeaannn…" Momiji moaned. Kyo blushed as he didn't want to force anything upon Tohru and said:

"Fine. Continue your dumb story."

"It's not dumb. Anyway (he turns to Tohru) we went to see a fortune teller! It was a lot of fun. She was a realllly scary lady, and I know Hatsuharu will tell you he was not scared, but he held my hand really tightly when she told him that his fortune was not looking good at all. So after that, she said that we could have some of her raffle tickets for a drawing of some prize- she didn't know what it was, but she said the drawing was on that street- so we said 'Thank you, miss!' and we went to the raffle booth. It was really crowded, but Hatsuharu is strong so he pushed us to the front. We gave in the raffle tickets, and…" Tohru is nodding and clutching her skirt, wondering what the end of the story could be, " Both our tickets won!" He threw his arms into the air.

"So what did you win Momiji-kun?" Tohru asked, giggling.

"We won a trip for 8 to America! And I want to invite you!" Momiji said holding her hands and gazing into her eyes.

" OH MOMIJI-KUN however can I thank you? I feel like a princess!" She exclaimed.

"You can come! It's next week-end," he said, "isn't it great?"

"It will be a lot of fun, I'm sure!" Tohru replied.

Momiji now turned to Kyo. "You weren't very nice to me BUT I still will invite you to come. Will you please? Tohru will be sad if you do not come." Momiji asked. Kyo was angry because Momiji, even though he looked childish, knew just how to make Kyo accept.

"…Alright. I will." He said, blushing furiously. He retreated to the living room.

" So who else are you inviting, Momiji?" Tohru asked, confused at what had just happened.

"Weeell… You, Kyo-kun, Hatsuharu, Yuki-kun and me makes five. I don't really know who else to invite… Do you want to invite some of your friends, those two nice girls?" Momiji asked, counting on his fingers.

"Really Momiji? Could I invite Hana and Uo?" Tohru asked with excitement in her eyes. Momiji grinned.

"Of course!" He said, "So that makes seven. We still need one more person…"

"Maybe Hatsuharu-kun has other friends he would like to invite?" She asked him.

"Okay! So we'll wait." Momiji replied, bouncing up and down with excitement. Yuki then walked in the hallway.

"Yuki, guess what! GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT!" Momiji shouted, running up to a confused looking Yuki.

"Hm?" Yuki responded, "Hello Honda-san."

"Hi Sohma-san! Momiji has some exciting news!" Tohru told Yuki.

Momiji tells Yuki the story.

"I'm sure that will be great fun. Thank you, Momiji-kun." He smiled a warm smile.

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_So what happens when the Sohmas go American? _

_(maybe they get really fat! HAHA)_

_Find out in chapter two!_

_Momiji is just the cutest... _


	2. In Preparation, Physically and Mentally

**CHAPTER TWO: In Preparation, Physically and Mentally**

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"Ohhh Kyo-kun, do you think my English will be good enough for our trip?" Tohru asked with a worried look on her face to Kyo. He wanted desperately to tell her that of course it would… But because they were at school and Yuki was there, that just wouldn't do.

" Erm… Sure it will." Kyo answered, trying to look disinterested.

"Whaddya mean 'Sure it will.'? Of course it will Tohru-chan! Kyo-kun is just being a retard." Arisa popped out of nowhere and said. She already had that amused look that she'd have whenever she'd start teasing Kyo.

"What? Why do you call me a retard! What have I ever done to YOU?" Kyo screamed.

"… Just don't get too excited there, you." Uo said, patting Kyo's head.

"So Tohru," she continued while Kyo slammed a desk into the wall because her teasing really frustrated him, "I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to thank you last night on the phone for inviting me on such a neat trip, my dad was eating fried chicken and I had told him not to. You know how I get when he disgraces his own health. Hehe." She snickered. Tohru smiled.

"Yes Uo-chan! It's so nice of you to do that for him," she replied, "I'm sure he appreciates it very much."

"Ahhh… My dear Tohru." Tohru swiftly turned around to see a happy-looking Hanajima.

"Hello Hana-chan! How are you?" Tohru asked enthusiastically.

"I am great, thank you. I have been sort of depressed as of late, and your call last night to announce that you were bringing me to America just amazed me… Do you have powers too, Tohru-chan?" she asked, smiling, "do you know exactly what I need?"

"Ohhh Hana! If you are depressed, you have to tell me!" Tohru said, falling into Hana's embrace.

"Thank you, Tohru…"Hana murmured.

"You're welcome," Tohru said "Oh Hana… We'll have to bring a souvenir back for Megumi, right?"

"Yes. Hi Uo-chan, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun." Hana waved in their direction.

"OH NO." Tohru suddenly froze on spot.

" What's wrong, Tohru?" asked Yuki.

"How… Will… Shigure… Feed himself?" Tohru spoke in slow motion, fearing what she was saying.

"Oh er…" Yuki had to admit he hadn't really thought of this either.

"Dogs always manage to find something to eat." Hana replied curtly. Kyo, Yuki and Tohru all looked at each other thinking the exact same thing.

"And err… What makes you think that Hanajima…" Kyo asked, hoping that she hadn't found anything out.

"I'm not sure… I think it's a Chinese proverb… Or from a haiku…"She replied seeming lost in thought. Oh good, they all thought. It was nothing at all. 'Just Hana being Hana' Kyo thought.

After school, as Kyo, Yuki and Tohru walked home, Hatsuharu and Momiji joined them.

"Hello Tohru! Hi Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun! Aren't you guys SOOO excited!" Momiji exclaimed upon meeting them. Haru let a simple "Yo." be his greeting.

"Yes Momiji! I just can't wait at all!" Tohru said looking ecstatic.

"If I had to choose somewhere to go, I would not have chosen America." Haru said, seriously and in a calm manner.

"Why not, Haru?" asked Yuki. Obviously though, Yuki knew he would most likely say something very strange, but Haru was his friend and it's important to understand your friends' views.

"Well," he began "in America, the food they serve is very unhealthy. I've heard that they serve pure fat on platters at some places… They don't even use chopsticks… I would much rather go to India, where they serve spicy meals that burn your tongue and where the food is great… And where the women wear long, flowing pieces of fabric that hardly cover anything…" At that last comment, Kyo and Yuki turned a bright shade of red.

"Tohru, why are Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun's faces that colour?" Momiji asked innocently.

"Shut up, rabbit!" Kyo said, slapping Momiji on the head.

"OWIE" cried Momiji.

"Kyo-kun, what should I make for supper tonight? Since we are leaving tomorrow, I'd like for it to be a special supper for Mr. Shigure… What does he like?" Tohru asked Kyo as she slipped on her navy-blue apron. He found himself being attracted to her even when he had no reason to be… He couldn't stand it. He turned his gaze away from her and stared sternly at the plants in the flowerpot. She still was gazing up at him waiting for an answer.

"He… he likes curry. Make him… curry." He said blushing and stuttering.

"Oh yes, that's true… Thank you Kyo-kun! I would not have been" She was then interrupted by Kyo slipping his hand onto her cheek and rubbing it ever so slightly.

"Tohru…" had he ever pronounced her name like that before? Uh oh. This was going to turn into something… He wasn't sure Tohru would be okay with that… So he transformed that word and that gesture into something more innocent and friendly, just as he had done many times before.

"…You're welcome. Any time you need to consult me..." He said with a smile that he forced to exude warmth, when really he would have liked for it to be more than kindness. He rubbed her cheek with more rigor than before, to make it seem like friendliness. It hurt him to not be aloud to do as he pleased, but when you lived under the orders of Akito…

"So ummm…" Tohru said as she blushed profusely, for she did not understand what Kyo-kun had just done… Was it just friendliness or something more? "I think I will make… curried chicken! Will you like that too?"

"Of course, Tohru." Kyo said with a smile. He was being ripped apart inside, everything ached. He could tell that what he had just done had confused her… Then Yuki entered the room, and the ambience was shattered. Both Kyo and Tohru blushed.

"Hello Honda-san. Is everything okay? Did Kyo hurt you?" Yuki asked when Kyo had silently left the room.

"No… Thank you for worrying though. Kyo-kun… Would never hurt me." Tohru replied with a smile. Yuki smiled to her as well, and slept on that last thing Tohru had said. Tohru, while waiting for the curried chicken to be done, decided to go pack her bags for America.

_Kyo-kun…_

Tohru thought about Kyo for a few minutes.

_Kyo-kun, I…_

The times when Tohru thought about Kyo, she honestly didn't know what to think about him. And when she thought about him desiring her, it hurt… She lay down on her blouses that she was to pack and if you were there lying right beside her, you could easily see that she was silently sobbing…

_Kyo-kun, I don't… Know…_

_

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__Love sweet love! What will happen next for Tohru and Kyo?_

_Find out._

_Yep, this is my first fanfic! So please feel free to comment, review, whatever… AND I still think Momiji is the cutest thing!_


	3. Ready for TakeOff!

**CHAPTER 3: Ready for Take-Off! **

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Tohru was very excited this morning. She had never been on an airplane before! She tugged on the old suitcase (which she borrowed from Shigure, she would never have the proper means to buy something that was so costly…) and climbed slowly down the stairs. She wore a yellow sundress that her mother had given her before her death. It had cute little flowers on it, and Kyoko said it had 'reminded her of her cute little daughter'. This made Tohru smile and made her pick up her pace a little. A little too much though, because she was still in the stairs so she tripped on a shoelace and was about to fall terribly to the floor. This made her reminisce for a short period about some of her mother's wise words…

…

"_Will you always be there to pick me up when I fall, Mama?"_ asked a younger Tohru, jumping into her mother's arms and giving her a tight hug.

" _I will try to as much as I can, sweetie… But I might not always be there. Someday, I might not be with you, like right now… Then you'll have to work on your own and help yourself."_ Kyoko said, brushing her orangey hair off her eyes.

"_But Mama! I love you! Why would you leave me?"_ A blubbering little girl asked.

"_Sometimes, life makes us do things we don't all like, but they're usually for the best,"_ Tohru's mother smiled a sad-looking smile. It was important to her to teach her daughter the difficult things, even at such a young age. _"And hey! Who said I wouldn't be with you! I will always be with you right here, no matter what."_ Kyoko exclaimed, laughing and patting the area on Tohru's chest to show that she would always be in her heart. Tohru grinned.

…

Back to where Tohru was now, she realized she was on the floor, only it had not hurt to fall, not the least bit. As Tohru got on her hands and knees, she noticed a flat, blue pillow that had been beneath her head. That pillow, she knew because of occasionally being in his room, was Kyo's. It all started to make sense now.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru exclaimed, looking up to see tall kyo towering over her even more while she was on all fours. She smiled at him, to show her gratitude.

"Thank you, Kyo-kun… I was just thinking about something and suddenly, I felt myself soar through the air…" She said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."

"It's okay Tohru… Just try to be more careful when you're walking down the stairs." He said, gazing out the window. "I carried your suitcase to the door, Shigure's gonna drive us."

"Thank you Kyo-kun! However can I thank you!" said Tohru, amazed at how nice Kyo was to her. He seemed distant though, this morning. Hm. Before going into the kitchen to pick up a few more bags, he hoisted her up to her feet. His strength impressed Tohru.

"Okay boys, go sit in the back now please, I'm not waiting for you if you miss the Shigure Express," Shigure said, raising his hands. "But you, my little Tohru, take all the time in the world! I've made a seat especially for you in the front, and I even packed some of the onigiri you made me in your luggage!" Then under his breath, Shigure said "And what an ideal wife you would make… Mmmmm…" After he had said this, Kyo silently entered the room, slyly stepped up to Shigure's backside and slapped his head. "Stupid pervert…" He muttered, as he carried yet another bag to the car.

"So shall we go then?" Shigure asked Tohru, still recovering from Kyo's attack. Shigure held out his hand to her and smiled.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Tohru replied. They both walked to the car to find Yuki and Kyo sitting in the back.

When Tohru got in the car, Yuki spoke to her.

"Good morning, Tohru. How are you today?"

"Oh! I'm doing fine! Thank you for asking." She answered Yuki. He bore aradiant smile and was wearing a sweater over a blouse. As always, Yukilooked very handsome and Tohru noticed some girls staring at him throughthe car window.

"And Kyo, you seem to be doing just fine as well," Yuki said "you stupid cat." Kyo became very angry when Yuki said that last part.

"WHY YOU- Someday, you stupid rat, you'll see. I'll skin the meat off youand hang you bones on my bedroom door so every morning when I wake up, I'll have proof that I finally defeated you. Ha!" Kyo laughed in an evil way.

"BOYS!" Shigure shouted over the soft music of a piano playing on theradio. He also cupped his hands over Tohru's ears, which made her turn a soft shade of pink. "How can you say such things? Firstly, Tohru's poor virgin ears have to hear all this nonsense and also, I cannot hear my classical music! Shame on you."

"Um Shigure…" Yuki began.

"SHIII-GUUU-REE YOU IDIOT! JUST SHUT UP FOR ONCE!" Kyocried, his cheeks turning fiery red.

"KYO I STILL CAN'T HEARRR MYYYY MUSIIIC!" Shigure shouted back,seemingly amused.

"What idiots…" Yuki said with a heaving sigh.

"KYOOOOO" Shigure began, laughing. He was soon interrupted by Tohru's soft voice.

"Look! The airport!"

"Hi Momiji-kun!" Tohru said, as she entered the quiet airport. She spotted Momiji frantically waving towards her and the others. He was wearing a hooded vest that had bunny ears on it. As she walked around and stared at the very empty looking airport, she felt a bit uneasy.

"Momiji-kun, aren't airports usually very busy, like in all the movies?" Tohru asked. Momiji looked up at the roof of the building and seemed like he was trying to think of an appropriate answer.

"Well, not at this time of year… Or at this time of day," Momiji began. " most of the people who are here today are going on business trips. Hardly anyone goes on vacations in the middle of the year… Except lucky us!" Momiji told Tohru. She was relieved to hear nothing was wrong. After having discussed the travel plans and gotten out their boarding passes and passports, Yuki asked an important question.

"So Momiji, where is Haru?"

" Oops! I COMPLETELY forgot about him!" Momiji said, itching his head and laughing with that radiant smile of his.

"Yes rabbit, that's all really great if you forgot about him," Kyo said, spreading lots and lots of mean-spiritedsarcasm on top of their happy atmosphere. "but it still doesn't answer our question; where is he?" Momiji suddenly seemed a bit more concerned, as if he had finally realized something.

"Look guys, I have…" They were soon interrupted though.

"Hey." A voice boomed. Yuki instantly recognized his good friend's voice and smiled.

" Hello Haru" He was saying, but as he turned around, he saw something he wasn't expecting.

There stood that tall, raven haired girl that he knew too well and that he should have expected to be there. She wore nothing out of the unusual by her standards; black stiletto-heeled boots, the shortest shorts he knew to exist, a small, very fitted black cropped top and nail polish of the blackest black there was.

There she was, confident on the outside looking Rin dragging along her troubled and terrorized interior. Isuzu.

"Why, hello Rin. How are you today?" Yuki asked, much more coldly than he had intended.

"Shut the hell up." Rin said simply, terror bubbling in her eyes. She released herself from Hatsuharu's protectivegrasp and headed for the bathrooms. When she was well out of sight, Haru let out a sigh and motioned for Yuki to come towards him.

"Yuki, I'll explain everything to you." Haru began. "I know it's not a good idea to be bringing Rin here, but I don't care about what's good and what's bad at this point. I love her and that's all there is to it. As to how I got her to come… You know she lives with Kagura and her mother? Yeah, well, I phoned Kagura's mother to tell her that some of the Sohmas were going to New York City for the weekend, and I thought it might be fun for Rin to come because she had a lot of stress and maybe that's what she needed to get a bit better? Kagura's mom seemed delighted by the idea, and told me she would make sure that Isuzu would be ready to go today. I know she is mad that I've made her come and that she just wants to protect me from Akito's rage, but I don't care. I love her and I want you to promise me Akito won't find out about this. I trust you and you're my friend. Please do this for me, okay buddy?" Haru pleaded.

Yuki nodded. "… I'll do my best." Yuki was extremely reluctant to hide things from Akito, but this was Haru...

"Yuki, Haru… Is everything okay? Is Rin okay?" asked Tohru looking worried. Yuki smiled at her.

_Just maybe… We'll do okay in life…_

"Yeah Tohru. Everything's great." It was now Tohru's turn to smile. She ran back to Momiji and an embarrassed-looking Kyo.

_With her by our side… Maybe…_

* * *

_Yipee! That sure was a whole lot of fun to write! Well, tell me whatcha think about it if you have time!_

_To my three reviewers, thanks so much for your support and I hoped I've made my text better with your comments (really they were SO helpful). If you'd like to see the personal thanks I've adressed to you, check out my profile. Thanks again!_

_Do you think I capture Isuzu and Haru well? I wasn't quite sure… Maybe Rin saying what she said was too harsh or something? The only thing about my text that I thought twice about was the whole Haru forcing Rin to come… Maybe I'll just make her be mad at Haru for a couple days... --_

_And about where this would be in the books, I'm not really sure. If you have any good estimate, please tell me, okay?_

_Until next time! _

_PS Sorry if it takes long for me to update, I'm pretty busy lately. But It's always on my mind!_


	4. We'll Be on our Way, Now

**CHAPTER 4: We'll Be on our Way, Now**

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Tohru was getting very excited! Uo and Hana had arrived together a little bit later and were very glad to find their dear friend safe. They too had feared the airport's being busy. After speaking together for a bit, they all realized it was time to go to their gate. They were currently boarding the plane.

Tohru stared in awe at the flashing lights and all the chrome… The modern looking plane was, to her, a work of art. She listened closely to the _"ding"_ sound the plane made to inform her about interesting things, like how long the trip would last, what New York would look like and when they would be taking off. She sat down in her seat, which was next to Kyo. When they were at their gate waiting for the plane, Momiji had consulted every one to see whom they would like to sit by during the long trip, the seats were placed in pairs. Obviously, Haru would sit with Rin. Yuki was to sit with Momiji. Uo and Hana were happy to sit together and finally, that left Kyo and Tohru.

"As long as I don't have to sit with that idiot rat…" Kyo responded to this.

So as Tohru sat with Kyo, staring around at all the plane's different parts, Haru and Rin sat in silence.

"…I'm sorry I made you angry." Haru said, seeming emotionless. Rin gave him a quick stare, to try and make him regret what he had just said, but they both knew each other too well. Haru knew it wasn't really meant to be hurtful.

"You know I would never hurt you, Rin." He told her, touching a lock of her hair. Her hair was the silkiest, smoothest thing he had ever felt. Rin, on the other hand, felt troubled and afraid… It would be so easy for her to give in and be in love with Haru… But it simply wouldn't do. Akito had already shown how much he had not appreciated what she had done, and also, she would probably kill herself if ever Akito were to hurt Haru… _Her sweet, beautiful Haru._

"Get a life." She said as she stood up, and walked tall to the nauseating toilets. Haru was forced to let her long hair loose and to once again, let Rin free. She was a horse, and horses need their freedom. He knew that, and he knew what her motives were, but he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Maybe a sigh that was a bit too loud to be ignored.

"Your girlfriend mad at you?" Uo-chan asked as she turned around in her bench to see Haru.

"Yeah, everything's good though… Rin's just had it tough and I know it's nothing personal… I understand that…" he told her confidentially.

"That's quite mature of you." Hana said monotonously and not bothering to turn around in her seat. Haru thought about that.

"Not really… I'm just giving her her own space, you know?" Haru replied to that.

"Yes… That's precisely what most women want. Space when they need it, closeness when they're in that particular mood. You're young… Yet you understand women in ways which some old men never get to understand." Hana-chan smiled, still sitting forwards in her bench. Haru looked at the spot that Rin had occupied earlier and stared at it without answering. He emitted a very sad look.

"So Tohru-chan, you must be quite excited!" Yuki asked Tohru. Tohru swiftly turned around in her seat to see a rejoiceful Yuki looking at her with an impressive grin.

"Oh yes, Yuki! I can't wait to see the Statue of Liberty and Radio City Hall and Times Square and… Oh wow, it's just so exciting!" She said, on the verge of tears of joy. She giggled and swiped a loose strand of hair away from her mouth.

_She's so cute_, Thought Yuki. He wondered how such a nice girl wound up in the crazy Sohma's environment and managed to accept it all with such ease… But he didn't feel for her in that way. He just thought of her as a very good friend, and he was certain she thought of him the same way. So why couldn't he stop thinking of all these thoughts?

"Erm yes," he said, blushing at that thought. "I'm sure it will be good for all of us."

"Tohru! I heard that in Times Square, it gets really crowded. So if you want, I'll hold your hand so you don't get lost in the huge crowds of people!" Momiji exclaimed as Yuki eased into his seat. Momiji grabbed Tohru's hand, to show her just how he would hold it.

"Let go of her, you idiot." Kyo said, slapping Momiji's hand. Momiji yelped and began weeping. Suddenly, the familiar _"ding"_ sound boomed out from the plane's speakers. Tohru straightened her back and waited for the important message to come.

"Hello passengers! I will be your pilot today. My name is Tsuke Kunijitsimu. It's a pleasure to have you on board today and if you require any assistance at all, feel free to ask any one of our flight attendants. They will be delighted to help you!" He said, very enthusiastically. "We hope you have a pleasant and comfortable flight with us. Thank you." Tohru felt so cared for and comfy after the pilot said that. What a nice man! Momiji was still weeping aftr Kyo's mean insult, and was pressing a button beside his seat. Tohru wondered what it was when all of a sudden, a woman with a short black bob and a blue hat came to Momiji and Yuki's row of seats.

"Do you require assistance?" She said with a smile. Yuki became more aware of her presence when she said that. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Excuse me ma'am?" He asked in his polite manner.

"It's me that requires assistance!" Momiji said, sobbing. " The boy in front of me slapped me on the hand because I was **sniff** just being nice to Tohru and **sniff**, he's not very nice because **sniff sniff… **He wants Tohru all to himselfffff!" Momiji wailed. Kyo blushed and muttered something that soundedlike "stupid rabbit…"

"And I heard you say that if I needed any kind of assistance, I could ask youuu… Wahhh…" The flight attendant looked at Momiji with a quizzical look.

"So ahmm… You pressed the button?" The flight attendant asked. Yuki was finally aware of the situation.

"Thank you ma'am, but Momiji is my responsibility and he will not do anything of the sort again. Pardon us." Yuki said, with one of his most formal voices.

"Ahh. Well it's not a problem then." Said the flight attendant in a daze. _What a polite young boy_, she thought as she strolled away. Yuki began scolding Momiji, and Tohru spoke with Kyo.

"Uo-san, Hana-san… Wait, it is alright if I call you that, right?" Haru stopped to question.

"If that's what you want to call us… It's all good!" said Arisa, smiling with that rowdy-chick smile of hers.

"Alright…" Hana remained silent as Haru continued, " Well, I'm going to go tell Rin that we're taking off soon… I'll be back in a few minutes…" He got up from his seat, and slowly walked to the back of the plane. He noticed a few young girls staring at him, but he had no interest in anyone like that. The only person there was, right now anyway, for Haru was Rin. He sensed her as he marched closer and closer to the restroom door. He walked up to that small restroom door and sniffed nonchalantly. He observed the door carefully, and noticed the "Occupied" notice on it.

"Rin…" He called out to her softly. No answer came from inside. Before doing what he was about to do, he looked around, to make sure no one was looking. Then, with his exceptional strength, he rammed into the door and it came crashing down. Some of the flight attendants seemed unsure about the strangely loud sound that came from the back of the plane, but after a few minutes of stern staring and other things to take care of, they were off. Haru lifted the door carefully to discover Isuzu looking a bit concerned with her head perched on the toilet and tears spilling from her eyes, occasionally plopping in the toilet water.

"You've hurt yourself." Rin asked, staring at Haru's bleeding arm. He didn't shift his vision and stared straight at her.

"I missed you." He told her, and sat down on the floor beside her.

"Haru, that's not a reason to knock the door down." She replied. She let a silly smile appear on her face, she found Haru's logic funny sometimes. Haru seemed to be staring out into space when suddenly, his gaze shifted to Rin's eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds and let a happy smile escape his lips. They both began laughing after a few minutes, both alone but as one, sitting on an airplane's bathroom floor.

Kyo was so in love with her… But he didn't see what good could come out of it… Ever. This tore him up inside, but it was soothing at the same time just having her in his presence. He wasn't sure if this was love, but it must be close. He knew that after he'd be done high school, he'd be locked up forever in that dark room that he knew about too well. Every day will surely be painful without her… Now they are even more painful, because he has to mask his true feelings.

"Tohru, why do people live?" Kyo asked, not really aware of what he was asking.

"What do you mean Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, confused. He hated that sweet, pure innocence of hers… He blushed.

"I mean… Well er… Maybe you won't get it at all, but I don't see why people go through all the trouble of making friends, having jobs, falling in love (he felt himself redden) when we all know that we will someday die… What good comes out of it…?" In his position, it was even more complicated, because he would have even less life to live…

Tohru's expression changed. Her eyes closed and her lips formed a melancholic smile. She slowly began to formulate her response.

"… If you live life thinking 'One day, I'm going to die.', then you won't have done anything with your life and you will die alone and sad… That's why I think you have to live in the present, and live each day like it's your last… Why do we make friends? So we can have people who help us and care for us…" When she said this, she stared at Momiji with that same smile of hers. "Why do we make ourselves have nice jobs? So we can feel like we have made our mark on earth… And finally, why do we fall in love? I don't know… Love is hardest to explain, I think…" Tohru finished. She looked up at Kyo, who looked a bit depressed. "That's what I think."

_Live each day in the present… Like it's your last… _Kyo thought about Tohru's words, and thought she was probably right. He knew soon, he would be condemned to be imprisoned in that room and that it wasn't healthy at all for him to be thinking about that now when he had time to live properly… To be civilized… To be with _her_, not yet plagued by Akito's strict rules, that was his dream… For now anyway, it was. He looked at Tohru and smiled at her.

"That's a good way to think." He told her.

"Really?" Tohru blushed. She looked out her window at some trucks that rushed on the concrete landing area and thought about what she had told Kyo-kun when out a of nowhere, a _"ding"_ boomed out of the plane.

"Passengers, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. At this moment, we are taking off. Thank you." The pilot, Mr. Kunijitsimu informed them. Tohru grew very anxious for the departure. So many adventures awaited them in America! Tohru felt the plane moving and Momiji screamed excitedly when this happened. She saw Rin and Haru walking up the aisle and moving themselves back to their seats. Where could they have been? Hana-chan waved at her, and she waved back. She sat comfortably in her seat and the plane jerkily sped up. She squeezed Kyo's hand and his face flushed. She held on tightly, not knowing what to expect from the sudden speed of the plane. Sooner than she was aware of it, she looked out the window and saw the airport growing farther and farther away. She released Kyo's hand. She stared at him and they both smiled. Tohru didn't know what to do to make this moment a bit less uneasy, so, whilst pumping her fist in the air, she exclaimed:

"America, here we come!"

* * *

_Another great chapter to write, this one was especially long! I'm happy with it._

_In next chapter, there will be more about the non-couples, don't worry. I know I overdid the Tohru-Kyo and Haru-Rin thing, but it was just to set the mood, I guess. Don't worry, Yuki, Momiji, Hana and Uo will appear!_

_NOTE did you notice the small clue of Yukiru in here? Heehee. So now every one's happy, right? But maybe they won't be, who knows. Who says I will make anything of it, in the end?_

_Feel free to review me, it would please me !_

_Until next chapter! _


	5. Complicated Emotions Onboard

**CHAPTER 5 : Complicated Emotions Onboard**

* * *

Hana stared in front of her and wallowed in the pleasant waves of so many Sohmas together at once. It felt very good, and if she had nothing to do, she could try to decode them.

"Haaaaanaaaa…" Someone called out to her. She swiftly turned to her side to see Uo-chan staring up at her.

"Yes, Arisa," she asked with a brief smile.

"How much money did you bring?" Uo-chan asked her, with a sort of worried expression on her face.

"Well, I'm not really certain… Why would you like to know?" Honestly, Hana knew she had brought about enough to live off food and maybe a little extra to buy something nice for Megumi and maybe Tohru…

"Well… I didn't have much money at home… Hana, I hardly have enough to eat… Plus, I won't even be able to thank Tohru by treating her to something…" Uo replied "… Damn…" Hana heard her say, under her breath.

"We'll both buy something for Tohru with my money…" Hana began. "And you can eat some of my food…" Hana told her, staring ahead. Arisa grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Thanks Hana… You know I love ya." Uotani smiled. Hana slowly turned her head towards Arisa and smiled at her. She couldn't resist smiling back at Uo's cute smile.

Haru and Rin sat in silence, but they both thought the same thing. '_I love you'. _Because firstly, they are Rin and Haru and secondly because of Rin's fear of Akito and desire to simply not let Haru get hurt and Haru's comprehension of all this, they would not steal any glances (maybe a few, as long as the other doesn't see them), there would be no touching and of course, no speaking unless it becomes necessary.

"Haru, I just cannot believe you… I already told you I don't need you anymore, now you try to get closer to me! I didn't ever want to see you again after I told you that, now you come running back to me? You really do want to anger me, don't you! I hate you, Haru!" She burst out at him. He didn't even look surprised. He simply turned his head towards her, stroked some of her hair and smiled deviously.

"I know." He said, still smiling. Rin knew that in Haru language, this meant '_Don't lie to me, Rin' _but she ignored that part of her. She had also just noticed that he had defied the three unspoken rules, touching, speaking and looking. She gasped, realizing that she had started it all. She took a last look at him and frowned. She turned around in her bench and sulked.

_'We're just a bunch of law breakers, that's what.' _she thought.

"Yukiii, why do they call you Yun-Yun at school? Isn't that a bit silly?" Momiji asked Yuki, with a quizzical look on his face. Yuki didn't actually know the answer to this question.

"I don't know Momiji…" he replied, staring at Tohru. He wanted to make sure she was safe from that idiot.

"Yukiiii! Listen to me! Don't stare at Tohru instead!" Momiji moaned. He continued, as he watched Yuki's face flush." I know she's veeryy pretty, and suuuper nice, but I want to talk to you…"

"That's not true Momiji… I wasn't staring at her." Yuki even had to tell himself this. Momiji acted as his perseverant conscience.

"YES YOU WERE! I saw you with my own eyes! And," Momiji said, looking at Tohru who was staring up at Kyo, telling him something about Kagura. "she looks especially cute today! I might even stare at her too, now…" Momiji replied looking at Tohru with a smile. Yuki had his red face hidden inside his palm, because Momiji embarrassed him so… Tohru looked back at them.

"Hi Momiji! Hi Sohma-kun! Are you guys doing well?" Tohru asked, smiling clueless to what had just occurred between Momiji and Yuki.

"We're well, Honda-san. Thanks." Yuki said, while shielding Momiji's mouth because he was about to say something about why Yuki looked so embarrassed. Momiji pawed at Yuki's hand and when Yuki finally let go of him, Momiji was a little mad.

"Why'd you do thaaat! Now I didn't get to talk with Tohru, wahhh… I'm going to press the assistance button again, you're becoming like Kyo-kuuunn!" Momiji informed Yuki.

"Momiji please… You can have some of my pocky, okay?" Yuki heaved a sigh, he sort of liked pocky and had wanted to keep it for himself. Sure, maybe that was a bit egotistical, but… That's kind of how he was.

"POCKY? Where!" Momiji shouted grabbing Yuki's shirt pocket. Yuki took the pocky out of his pant pocket and Momiji scarfed a strawberry flavoured one down. Yuki looked away. He saw Tohru, looking out the window and tugging on Kyo's sleeve to show him a cloud or something of the sort.

_'Why was I alwaysso polite with her… It makes me seem like I don't care when it's completely the opposite… Like she's just some other girl when she's not…' _Yuki thought. He reached out to tug on Tohru's sleeve, but hesitated. It brought back a flashback of him being ignored by his mother when he had tried to speak with her, because she considered him as an object of no particular value. He didn't know what to do.

… But he certainly didn't want this to go on forever.

"Tohru." He called softly. She spun around in her seat.

"Yes, Sohma-kun?" She replied cheerily.

"I don't think you consider me as just another Sohma, Tohru, am I right?" Yuki asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Err… What do you mean, Sohma-kun?" Tohru seemed confused and was blushing ever so slightly.

"Ah ermm… Well ahh… What I mean is…" Yuki was blushing furiously at this point and was sternly staring at the floor. How could he put this simply…?

"Sohma-kun, I'm sorry if I did…" Yuki didn't interrupt people ofen but this time, he felt obliged to.

"That! It's that. You ahh… Don't have to call me Sohma-kun… Because well… I believe we are aquainted, yes? So I don't think I will call you Honda-san anymore and I don't think… You have to call me Sohma-kun anymore either… Okay?" when he said this last okay, he looked up at Tohru who was smiling.

"I understand… Yuki-kun!" She exclaimed. She had understood what he meant.

"Oh wait… Did you want me to call you Yun-Yun?" Tohru asked, looking up and rubbing he chin with her index finger. Yuki laughed.

"I don't think that's necessary Tohru." Yuki told her.

"Ahhh! I'm so sorry… I wasn't sure! Sorry!" Tohru bowed repeatedly as Yuki told her again and again that it was okay and she bonked her head on the metal surface of the armrest. She fell backwards, and Kyo caught her.

Kyo stared at Tohru, who was now perched in his hands. Her eyes were wide open and her lips were lightly pursed. She looked up at him and her eyes shut tigtly.

"I'M SO SORRY KYO-KUN, I DIDN'T WANT" she began.

"It's alright Tohru. You're not very heavy." Kyo told her calmly. She stared at him and giggled. He blushed and looked away. He lifted her back up to her sitting position, and she sunk into her seat.

"I was really scared!" She told him, enthusiastically. He looked at her for a few minutes, and turned back towards the window.

_'Was Yuki just…?' _Kyo wondered. What was Yuki up to now? He obviously knew what kind of feelings Kyo had for Tohru, yet he seemed like he was trying to pull something back there. Would Kyo have to talk to him strictly and tell him what territory was his? He didn't know. He didn't think Yuki would listen to him even if he did… Yuki could kick his butt at anything. He was afraid Yuki might get Tohru all to himself if he tried to. Then, as always, Yuki would get every thing he'd ever wanted. But for this, it was different… Tohru wasn't just a battle to win, not just some material possession. He wouldn't allow Yuki to have Tohru, even if he won her fair and square.

"Ahh, excuse me." said a brunette girl as she leaned over Tohru to look at Kyo. Kyo looked up disinterested.

"I've been observing you, and I think you're really cute. Would you like my number?" The girl asked. She wore a short sleeved shirt that descended low in the front. This disgusted him, Tohru would never wear something like that. Actually, what really disgusted him was that it was not Tohru, not Tohru at all. He looked at Tohru and frowned at the girl.

"No Im not interested. I don't want your number." he looked at her for a moment as regret spread across her face, and stared back at the window. She stared at him for a moment, muttered "You jerk." and paced away. Tohru looked at her sadly then turned to Kyo.

"You seem to be popular with the girls…" She told him with a cautious smile. He shifted his vision towards her, then looked back out the window.

_'Can't you see the only girl I want to be popular with is you, Tohru-chan?' _

Momiji sat restless in his bench. He wiggled a lot, wondering when the airplane would land. Suddenly, a voice behind him asked something.

"You're a Sohma, correct?" The voice asked. He turned around to see one of Tohru's friends, Hana-chan. He looked around and pointed to himself, to make sure it was him she was speaking to. She nodded.

"Yes! Remember? We eat lunch together sometimes with Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun and Haru. I'm Momiji."He told her enthusiastically.

"You are strong." She told him, looking directly into his eyes.

"Really? I never thought so, Kyo-kun doesn't even hit me hard and it hurts a lot sometimes…" Momiji told her. She shook her head no.

"That's not how I meant it. I mean that your waves show that you've been through hard times, very hard times and yet you persevere. Ive been studying your waves since we got on the plane ride. My observations are usually correct. Am I right?" She asked him, still staring into his profound brown eyes with compassion. His eyes closed slightly, surprised someone he did not even know understood the pain that hurt him daily, hourly. He sighed.

"Yes… You're correct." He turned away from her, and sunk low into his chair. He usually only thought about it a bit, but now, It forced him to think about it more. A hand attached itself to his, and there was Hana-chan, crouched beside him.

"I too have been through difficult times. But I have learnt through those difficult timeslove conquers all. Uo-chan and Tohru-chan have always been there for me... If there is a day where you are so troubled by your thoughts that you don't know what to do, go to those who love you. If you need to talk to anyone, you can talk to me." Hana told him. He smiled a melancholic smile at her and let a few tears escape his eyes. Although he could never tell her about his problem, he was touched that she cared enough to try to do something about it.

"Thank you…" He told her. He sniveled.

"You have lovely tears, you know…" She said, as she smiled and walked back to her seat.

He stared at the bench and pondered.

_'Love conquers all…'_

As long as some people still loved him, he'd do okay.

… In fact, he'd do just fine.

"Hello! This is your pilot, Mr. Kunijitsimu! I have a piece of information for you passengers. We will be landing in approximately 8 hours. You have gotten this far, there is not much time left! Keep it up!" He had more to say after that. "Also, our flight attendants will soon be passing out pillows and blankets, it's about ten thirty at night, so for those of you who are getting sleepy, you should snooze right about now! Good night, passengers."

In the next hour, Tohru was asleep on Kyo's shoulder as he observed her, Yuki and Momiji were asleep leaning on eachother. Uo and Hana were sleeping their separate ways and Haru and Rin were both drowsy but awake and not facing eachother. Silence overwhelmed the plane.

* * *

**GLOSSARY**

_Pocky: A sort of candy that the Japanese really enjoy. It's like an edible stick that's covered halfway with a sort of hardened cream thing… It can be flavoured chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, etc. I've tried it myself, and find it very addictive. I recommend it._

* * *

_Hey again! I finally got to doing chapter 5! I know it took me long, but I'm back on my school schedule and I will probably only update on week-ends now. Sorry._

_Ohh ohh! Now you see that I was serious about the whole Yukiru thing, hmm? Well, if you must know what it leads to, you'll just have to keep reading._

_I didn't really like this chapter… But tell me whatcha think! I'd be glad to know! (Review me if you have time :))_

_**UPDATE: I fixed the quotations and some of the things Anters was kind enough to tell me about. Thanks again Anters!**_

_Bye now!_


	6. We Love Fast Food

**CHAPTER 6: We Love Fast Food **

* * *

"Excuse me, passengers, for waking any of you, but we will soon be landing. Please, return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you for your cooperation." Tohru woke up as he said this. She looked startled, and searched to see where she was exactly.

'Oh yes! We are on the plane to New York!' She remembered. She noticed that she had been leaning on Kyo's shoulder when she was sleeping. At this point, he was sleeping too. She removed herself from his shoulder, telling herself it was a good thing he had not transformed because of her. She spun in her seat to see Yuki smiling at her, as Momiji slept on the armrest. He waved and mouthed hi to her, as to not wake Momiji. She smiled at him and waved back. She turned back to her normal sitting position. She turned her head to look at Kyo. He looked so blissful! She never had a chance to watch Kyo-kun sleep. His mouth was a little bit open, but no drool came out of it. His head lolled to the left, and he didn't snore. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took. She watched him some more, to make sure this moment could be imprinted in her memory.

_But why?_

She blushed and spun her head forwards. Why was she staring at him? Why did she want an image of Kyo-kun sleeping to be imprinted in her mind? Because he was her friend? … She didn't think most friends watched each other sleep… She never really watched Hana-chan or Uo-chan sleep…

_Because Kyo-kun is really cute!_

Something inside her told her. She blushed even more, almost to the point of explosion. She clasped her face in her hand and lightly slapped her cheeks. Where on earth did that come from? Certainly, Kyo-kun was cute… Just like she thought Sohm-… Yuki-kun was cute too! So then…

_Why does thinking Kyo-kun is cute make you blush, and thinking Yuki-kun is cute doesn't?_

She didn't know. All she knew was that she felt very hot and that looking at Kyo-kun would just make her blush more. She looked the opposite way and sighed slowly. What did she think of Kyo-kun? She didn't know. Maybe she had just never realized how cute her friend was, and it surprised her. … That must be it.

"Uo-chan, I think Tohru-chan is worried about something." Hana said. She recognized Tohru's waves even through all the Sohma's interesting waves surrounding her. It wasn't that bad of a worry, but she thought she'd tell Uo, just to inform her.

"Really? Why do you think? I hope it isn't that dumbass Kyon-Kyon. H definitely has a knack for screwing things up. If it is, I'll kill him…" Uo-chan said, menacingly waving a clenched fist in front of her. Arisa could tell that the tone of her voice meant that Tohru wasn't really that worried. Otherwise, Hana would already be standing by Tohru's side, telling her it was okay.

"I do not believe that he has done anything to her. Maybe… She is afraid of the plane's landing…" Hana mentioned. Uo knew that even if it was that boy, Hana would not say anything because indeed, Uotani Arisa hurts anyone that messes with Tohru. She just hoped that if it was Kyon-Kyon, he didn't do anything that would really hurt her. She raised herself in her seat and saw that Kyo was sleeping. "Well, hoping he's not so dumb that he'll be mean Tohru-kun while he's sleeping." She smiled and laughed. Hana slowly turned towards her and also let a little laugh slip.

The plane descended slowly. Momiji was now awake, and he was intently looking out the window with his big brown eyes. He smiled as he saw all the big buildings that took all New York City's room. He then looked at Hanajima-san, and smiled at her. She turned towards him and smiled too. He liked that girl. She seemed to be someone who seems troubled on the outside (because she wears all those dark colors) and who indeed, is a troubled person. But he was strangely drawn to her now. She was so sympathetic, so kind to have taken her own time to see through him, and to understand his pain. He was hoping they would have more time together so they could bond, because he really liked that girl. When he looked out the window again, he noted that they had gotten much closer to the ground and yelled out:

"UUWAHH! LOOK YUKI-KUN! WE'RE HEEEERE!" Some people were awoken by his outburst and a baby began to sob loudly. The mother stared at him with frustration. Yuki tapped the back of Momiji's head, and told him not to do that again. Momiji frowned. He looked to Saki-san, who seemed to have been amused by his yelp. She was giggling with her hand politely over her mouth. He giggled a bit too. He was caught off guard when they began the landing process and he felt himself being squashed by the pressure onto his seat. He grabbed the armrest, and stared and Yuki. Yuki had never taken the plane before, and seemed to be gasping for air. Momiji found this funny, and began to laugh softly. Yuki looked at him curtly and turned a soft shade of pink, because he realized only after that he probably seemed a bit stupid.

When the plane began the landing process, Tohru felt afraid. She grabbed Kyo-kun's hand fiercely and shut her eyes tightly. Kyo-kun woke up to feel extreme pressure on his whole body and Tohru holding his hand with a tight grasp. Were they dying? He looked around him, and saw that most people had no problem with this whole situation. 'It must be the landing.' He thought. Tohru had her eyes closed and was leaning back in her seat. He squeezed her hand for a bit with mutual force. She looked up at him now, and he smiled at her. She let a weak smile spread across her face.

"This is a little scary…" She admitted to Kyo, her voice low.

"Maybe a bit." He replied, still smiling at her. He patted her hand with his, and an instant later, the landing was over. She felt a wave of relief come over her.

"Kyo-kun. Thank you." She told him. He smiled at her and patted her shoulder, a gesture that probably meant 'Don't worry about it, Tohru.'

They got out of the plane and entered the airport. It was spacious and very white, so white it made you feel a bit dizzy. The ceiling looked complicated, it had many metal pillars passing through and around it. Tohru noted that a lot of people were speaking English. She felt completely disoriented for a few seconds though, because she hardly could understand a word they were saying… In her English class, they didn't speak half as fast! Immediately, she felt two pairs of hands gripping her sides.

"Uo-chan! Hana-chan! How are you? I've missed you!" She told them, as she hugged them tightly. She felt better already, having them along.

"We missed you too, Tohru-chan." Hana said, and she hugged Tohru.

"Yeah! We sure did! So how's Kyon-Kyon? And the prince? And

Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-kun and that other girl?" Uo-chan asked, as she patted Tohru's head affectionately. Tohru brought her index finger to her chin and looked to the ceiling.

"Well Kyo-kun is doing well, I think Momiji-kun and… Yuki-kun are doing well too. I don't know about Haru and Rin though… Has anyone seen them? I wonder where they've gone?" Tohru looked around, searching for them. Yuki came towards her.

"Haru and Rin are right there. I think they have had a fight or something… Maybe Rin is mad at Haru. I'm not really sure…" Yuki told her. He hoped that they were okay… Rin stood in the opposite direction of Haru's sad eyes and looked a bit angry. Since he knew Rin better than every one except Haru, he knew that she could not have been mad at Haru. That was practically impossible.

'It must be something else…'

"Oh dear… Do you think they'll be okay, Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked him. He couldn't resist a smile.

"I think so. This is between them though, so let's just wait and see what happens." Yuki told her.

Uo's stomach grumbled, and she moaned. " Aghh… I'm so hungry! The meals on the airplane were yuckyyy… What can we eat here that's any good?"

"It's too bad you're going to have to discover the wonders of American fast food already." Haru told them all.

" Fast food? Where? Com'on Kyon-Kyon, let's go!" She said, grabbing Kyo's sleeve and running towards aKFC.

"What! Hey, where are you bringing me, you dumb Yankee?" Kyo yelled at her, as she tugged him towards the counter. Tohru and Hana laughed. All the rest of the gang walked towards the restaurant.

"See Tohru? Your English was so good, you didn't even have to ask twice for what you wanted!" Momiji told her with a smile. She smiled back at him, he looked so happy today!

"I guess you're right! The only problem is that… I have no clue what I'm eating." She stared at the chicken and the green coleslaw. She was puzzled.

"Maybe it's chicken? The restaurant is, after all, called 'Kentucky Fried Chicken'…" Yuki suggested.

"Well then, what's that green stuff?" Momiji asked, poking it with a straw.

"It seems to be some sort of… Salad." Hana answered expressionless.

"Maybe it's… Barf?" Momiji asked, taking his straw away from it immediately. Tohru, Kyo and Yuki all had a look of disgust on their faces.

"What's your problem, you idiot rabbit! Do you think Tohru wants to think she's eating barf?" Kyo said as he slapped Momiji hard on the head from across the table. Rin rolled her eyes as Momiji began weeping.

"You idiot cat… Are you suggesting that Tohru might be eating barf?" Yuki asked Kyo, with frustration printed on his face.

"I never said that, you dumb rat! It's always MY fault, isn't it?" Kyo told him.

"Actually, yes it is!" Uo yelled at him. She seemed amused.

"**SHUT UP YANKEE! I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!"** Kyo replied, flushing red.

" Really Uotani-san, I think it would be wise if you did not include yourself in his discussions. He's rabid and not afraid to bite." Yuki whispered loud enough to her so that Kyo could hear. Arisa laughed loudly.

"Why you…" Kyo said, popping a fist up at both Yuki and Uo-chan.

"One day! I will kill you both! You'll see!" He shouted in their faces. Uo-chan was laughing very hard and Yuki was smirking at him.

"Just try and touch me." Yuki said, as he got out of his bench with Arisa and Haru in it. Kyo also excused himself from the bench he was sharing with Tohru, Momiji and Rin. They both stood in a karate stance and Yuki was still smirking at him. Kyo charged towards him and Yuki caught him. He threw him high in the air and pummeled him onto the tile floor. Kyo bounced back up, and tried to charge towards him again. Yuki swiftly moved out of the way. Kyo bashed through a wall, and clients at the restaurant started to flee. Yuki and Kyo didn't mind, they continued their fight. Hana noticed the restaurant manager coming towards them and warned Tohru. Hana knew Tohru had an incredible calming power with the boys and her thoughts were confirmed, for as soon as Tohru said " Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun!" ,they both stopped and saw the man coming. He began yelling at them very fast in English. He looked mad, so Uo suggested that they all leave. The man started screaming some swearwords at them. This made Haru mad.

" Think you're pretty cool, huh? Does insulting my friends make you feel above them? Well then…" Haru was now holding the manager by the collar and staring at him with a look that would terrify anyone.

"Oh no… He's black Haru…" Tohru said. Yuki shook his head and as he looked up, saw Rin walking towards this whole scene.

"Go kill yourself! Actually, you might as well let me kill you! Haa! **FEEL MY WRATHH!"** Haru informed the manager, as he threw him on the floor. Haru realized now that because he was speaking Japanese, the manager probably didn't understand a word he was saying. 'Oh well, this guy still does need to learn some manners.' As his fist was about to reach the man's fat face, a hand grabbed his arm. It was probably Yuki. Well he'd just have to handle him-

_It was Rin._

"Stop it Haru." She ordered. He looked at her, let his eyes soak up her beauty as long as he could. She was amazing. Even the manager was staring at her. So Haru slapped the manager as hard as he could (this time, for staring at HIS Rin.) The manager fainted, he had been slapped so hard. Haru grabbed Rin's hand so that he could stand up and stared into her eyes. She smiled at him, and then he kissed her full on the mouth. She let a little moan escape her lips, because kissing Haru was such an amazing feeling, she couldn't help it. She accepted the kiss as a thank you, and she blushed a velvety red color. They walked back to the group hand in hand.

"So, what did I miss." Haru asked with a smile on his lips. Tohru had a personal moment.

_Thank you god, for not letting them be mad at each other… I was really worried for them... _

"Tohru? You coming?" Momiji-kun asked her. She smiled at him and ran back to the group.

_Mom, I really hope for them that one day, they'll be able to be together…_

* * *

_That's the end of chapter six! Its one of the longest, mainly because ( AND GOMEN NASAI FOR THIS) I haven't written in about 2 weeks. IM SORRY SORRY SORRY…dies of frustration at self_

_Okay… Im really hoping that you all know what KFC is._

_Urm... What else can I say? Urm… Haha! Thanks for reading, because if you this far, you've probably read!_

_AND THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! Youre the reason I write._

_Meow! Until next time!_


	7. We're Heeere!

**CHAPTER 7: We're Heeere! **

* * *

"We're heeere!" Momiji shouted loudly, as he skipped into a regal hotel with Tohru and the gang in tow. They had taken a big taxi van to their hotel from the busy airport. It wasn't such a long ride, so no one was tired. Especially not Momiji. Tohru was looking around the hotel with an awestruck look on her face. 

"Uwaah! Momiji, how did you find such a beautiful hotel?" Tohru asked him, looking at the different shades of rich chocolate-browns decorationg the room.

"I too, Momiji, was wondering that… I know that we Sohmas are fairly wealthy, but… This is incredible…" Yuki asked, also looking fairly puzzled.

"Oh, that's easy! You know Father owns buildings? Well, he's very good friends with the owner of this chain of hotels, and that owner

owed him a favor for something Father did for him. When I told him I was staying here, he phoned him up right away, and asked him if we could get a little discount." Momiji told them, grinning. "So that's how it happened!" Tohru still looked a bit uneasy, probably because she wasn't used to being spoiled this much. Kyo came beside her.

" Tohru-kun. Don't panic so much. Momiji invited you, he wants you here and you deserve this." Kyo told her, as he lightly slapped her head. She looked up at him and had a dizzy look on her face.

"Soorryyy…" She told him. He laughed at her, and blushed ever so slightly. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. Yuki, sitting on one of the leather sofas, watched Kyo and Tohru with his chin resting in his hand with his fingers curled around the smoothness of his face. He did not look very happy. He was gripping the sofa's armrest with all his might, and noticed that he had accidentally pierced it with his long fingernails. He sighed and got up from the comfy chair.

'_I should calm down. I'm just jealous.' _

"Okayyyy so!" Momiji cried out to everyone. They all turned around to listen to what he had to say. "Tohru-kun, Hana-chan, Uo-chan and Rin-chan (Rin rolled her eyes when he said this) will room together. Tohru-kun, you can have the key." Momiji told Tohru, as he gently gave her a purple card.

"Oh yes! I will guard it with my life!" She told Momiji, doing an army salute. She looked at Kyo-kun, who looked like he wanted to laugh. He wasn't though, because Yuki was standing beside him.

"ANDDD Haru, Yun-Yun (Yuki blushed and grabbed his own face and seemed to be muttering something about a 'dumb rabbit'), Kyon-Kyon (Kyo slapped Momiji harshly across the head and yelled at him to not call him that ever again. Momiji yelped, stared at Kyo and continued what he was saying.) and me will be in a different room. So go to your room and we'll meet back down here in an hour! I'll call your room later, okay?" Momiji told them.

"BYE TOHRU-CHAN, I LOOOOVE" Before Momiji could finish, Kyo had picked him up and thrown him over his shoulder. He punched Momiji in the stomach and Momiji began to wail loudly. Some guests in the lobby stared at the boys with disgust. His wail was cut off when the elevator doors closed. Yuki looked embarrassed and Haru was silent.

"So, shall we go to our room then?" Hana asked. They all looked at her except Tohru who looked on ahead with a worried look.

"Something wrong, Tohru?" Uo asked. Rin raised her eyebrows at Tohru. Tohru slowly turned her head towards them and had the same look on her face.

"Urrrm… Ahh… Momiji forgot to tell me what room we are in…"

"No problem. Let's go ask the receptionist." Uo told her, pointing towards a beige desk. Tohru closed her eyes tightly and uttered a 'yes' as she was pulled towards the desk by Uotani.

"Hi. We need some info." Uo informed the receptionist. The problem though, was that she had said this in Japanese. The receptionist looked like she was about to faint. She looked at them with a weak smile and pointed to the back of a room. She began running towards that place. They all sweatdropped.

"Ahh… Urrr…" Tohru said, confused.

"Maybe it's a strange American custom to run away when foreiners ask you a question…" Hana suggested.

"We're in America…" Rin told them sighing. Uo snapped her fingers.

"Crap. The tall girl is right. I forgot about speaking in English." But just then, a handsome young man appeared in front of them.

"How may I help you, ladies?" He asked in perfect Japanese. They were all equally surprised.

"Ohh! Ahmm… Well, we are here with" Tohru began, blushing. He was very cute, but not Asian. He was tall and had spiky blond hair. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. How could he speak so well?

"Mr. Sohma. He is presently our only Japanese guest. Would you like to know where your room is? Let me see your card, please." He asked with his hand opened and with his eyes staring at the computer screen on the desk. She handed it over to him timidly. He tapped the buttons on his computer and clicked the mouse a couple of times. He looked so concentrated, Tohru couldn't help but blush.

"Your room… Mr. Sohma has two rooms… So yours is either 364 or 365. Okay?" He asked, with a little smirk on his face.

"Thanks a lot." Uo told him while winking. He nodded and sat down lazily in the chair.

"No problem. Hey, if any of you pretty girls ever need anything, make sure you ask for Stephen-san. That's me." He seemed to direct this at Tohru exclusively. She flushed deeply and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. He winked at her.

"You all have a nice stay now." He told them as they walked to the elevator.

'_She was pretty cute.'_ Stephen thought to himself before dozing off in the chair. The hotel wasn't really busy at this time of day anyway, no one would mind.

"Tohru… I want you to be careful around him." Hana breathed out. Tohru did not really know what she was talking about.

"Whom, Hana?" She asked.

"No one… I meant just please be careful in New York… You too Uo." She also looked at Rin and nodded.

'_That boy Stephen's wave pattern shows that he is interested in Tohru… I hope that whatever he does to her, he's careful.' _

"Ahh! So Isuzu-san, how was your flight? Sorry, I haven't spoken to you very much… Also, these are my two best friends, Hana-chan and Uo-chan. Uo-chan, Hana-chan, this is Sohma Isuzu-san!" Tohru told them, grinning.

"Hey. Nice to meet you." Uo said as she shook hands with Isuzu.

"A pleasure." Hana-chan said, as she bowed deeply. Rin blushed a little and nodded her head. She then looked at Tohru.

"Tohru… You know you don't have to call me 'Isuzu-san'." Rin told her, her face revealing no apparent expression.

"Ahh! I'm sorry… What would you like me to call you?" Tohru asked her. Rin turned away slowly, seemingly thinking.

"Well… Everyone calls me Rin in the Sohma family… You're close enough to call me that too…"

"Oh yes! I will then!" Tohru told her smiling. Rin turned away, looking a little annoyed. A bell sound resounded in the elevator. Tohru and Uo jumped. Rin stared at them.

"Oh. We seem to have arrived at the third floor." Hana informed them. They walked out of the elevator and Rin, who noticed the sign leading to their rooms, pointed the direction in which they needed to go. They knocked on the room 364's door, to make sure it was their room. The door handle turned.

"EEEK! A GHOOOST!" Tohru cried, as she watched the door handle turn without any of them touching it.

"Tohru-kun, calm down. It's probably just the boy's room." Rin told her, touching her shoulder. Evidently, Rin had been correct. Haru was now standing in the doorframe eating some sort of American food. Rin turned swiftly towards him.

"What's all the commotion out here?" He asked, his back against the doorframe. Tohru was still shaking with fear.

"Ahh… I suppose you were right Rin… ahahaa…" She was still shaking and Hana-chan was hugging her, to make her stop.

"Nothing. How's the room." Rin asked Haru. He looked up at her and smiled. They stood there for a few instants.

"It's good. You should go see yours. There are little baskets full of American snacks. They're disgusting, but extremely addictive." He told Rin smiling. She stared at him and quickly looked away.

"Great. We'll see you later then." She told him, walking to their room. He stared at her and shook his head.

'_You're always exactly the same, Rin.' _He thought to himself as he chuckled.

"Oh! Well… Tell Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and Momiji-kun that we all say hello! Bye for now!" Tohru told them. Uo and Hana waved at Hatsuharu, who waved back to them. He laughed quietly and closed the door.

"Guys. Tohru says hello to you." He said loud enough for them all to hear. Momiji was on the sofa with Kyo eating potato chips and watching some children's show called "Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Show". Kyo kept asking to change the channel, but Momiji kept refusing to change it and had also hidden the remote control on his pants. Yuki was coming out of the bathroom with a fluffy white towel around his waist. Haru stared at him smiling.

"What… What is it Haru?" Yuki asked him.

"You just look so pretty Yuki… You're making me fall in love with you more. Put some clothes on. Fast." Haru told him as he scanned him from top to bottom, then looked away.

"Rin will be jealous when she sees me with you." Haru told him as he stared into space, humming a strangely familiar tune.

"Haru! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!" Yuki said, blushing like crazy as he ran back to the bathroom. Momiji came beside the door and told him:

"Yuki-kun, I suggest you not be so… Revealing from now on. I think Haru might try to bang you if you aren't careful!"

"WHERE DO YOU KIDS LEARN THIS STUFF!" Yuki yelled loudly. Haru chuckled lightly and slapped his knee. Momiji went back and sat with Kyo, who slapped him and told him to stop being a pest. Momiji began wailing. Haru shook his head, still staring into space.

'_This is going to be a very interesting trip…'_ He thought.

* * *

_YAYYYY! I'm doooone! And it's only been a week since I've last updated! I'M BACK IN BUSINESS! **Ahem** okay…_

_So that was a short-ish chapter. I'll try to make them longer… Anyway. Thanks again to all my super reviewers and WOOOOT I am now celebrating my tenth and twentieth reviews! YEEHAW! (haha... I know I shouldn't be so excited... but...)_

_I also have a new humor series up, make sure to check it out if you have time! _

_Arigato for reading! Please be kind and reviewww!_

_Until next time!_


	8. The Girl Who's in Demand

**CHAPTER 8: The Girl Who'sin Demand**

**NOTE: "This is Japanese" and " :This is English:" **

* * *

Stephen woke up. He did not realize where he was at first, then remembered he was working. He remembered the Japanese tourists. The cute girl.

_The cute girl… _

He loosened his tie and brushed a short strand of his spiky hair out of his eyes. He had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket, and got a strong urge to consume one, but he felt his father's presence above him.

" :Hey Pops. What's crackin' .:" He asked, as he tilted his head over the seat far back to see his father staring down at him. His father was the owner of this joint. If it wasn't for this job his old man offered, he'd never be working. Obviously, all other places told him he was unfit for the job, he didn't exactly "nail" those job interviews.

" :Go file some papers or something.: " His father told him. Stephen knew this was his dad's attempt to scold him. He wasn't so good with parenting…

": There are Japanese guests here.: " Stephen answered. Stephen never really cared much about his father's scolding attempts. He mostly ignored them and talked to him about something else. The father observed his son's pitiful position on the chair, and sighed. He knew he was a bad dad and all, but did Stephen have to accentuate it so much? He went to sit in one of the leather sofas.

" :Yes. A bunch of Sohma's relatives and his friends have come over. They're here for three days, I think.: " Stephen's informed him. Stephen thought about this piece of information for a little while. A long pause followed until the father added something.

" :Maybe you could play with them: " His father added. Stephen leaned far back in his chair and smiled at the ceiling. What an idiot his dad was. He probably thought Stephen was still three or something. He laughed and looked to his father.

" :You know what? Maybe I just might do that.: " He told him.

Tohru threw her bags onto a bed. She carefully placed the framed picture of her mother on the desk by the bed. She looked at her mother, and smiled. New York! She just couldn't get over the fact that she was in beautiful New York with her best friends for a whole three days! She threw herself onto the bed to make sure this wasn't all just a dream.

"I guess I'll sleep on the sofa." Rin said, as she noticed Tohru fall onto the crisp white sheets. Tohru looked up innocently as a feather fluttered around. Her expression changed as she saw Rin throw her small suitcase on the tiny sofa. She ran to Rin and looked up at her. Rin stared down at her worried expression. She looked like a child not wanting to be separated from her mother. Rin frowned and slipped away from her grasp to watch Tohru look down at the ground.

"I… Rin-san, I don't want you to sleep on the sofa!" Tohru blurted out. Rin smirked. Tohru could be so cute.

"What do you suggest we do then, hmm?" Rin asked.

"Ah! You can have to bed all to yourself!" Tohru exclaimed, pushing Rin towards the bed. Rin turned around and stared at Tohru angrily.

"Tohru… You don't have to give it away to me! Look at your two friends, they're sharing their bed!" Rin said, pointing a finger at Uo and Hana, who cluelessly looked at Rin and Tohru as they unpackd their suitcases. Tohru looked at them, then slowly towards Rin.

"But… Maybe that would bother Rin-san…" Tohru suggested.

"Don't be silly. Of course it doesn't." Rin told her, as she waltzed towards the bathroom. When Rin returned from the bathroom, she noticed Tohru sitting on the bed with her eyes gleaming.

"Tohru-kun?" Rin asked.

"Rin-san… Is very kind… She has offered me a spot… In her bed…" Tohru pronounced slowly, savoring each word. Rin rolled her eyes and slapped Tohru on the head.

"Don't be silly." She muttered, as she sat down on the bed with Tohru. Tohru smiled warmly.

Yuki was sitting on a bed. He noticed Haru and Momiji whispering in one of the corners in their room. What was going on now… Well, he would soon find out.

"HARU-KUNNNN! I want to sleep with youuuu!" Momiji yelled extremely loud (in fact, Yuki noticed some plaster falling from the ceiling…) and jumped onto the left double bed.

" cough cough Sounds very good, Momiji-kun!" Haru told Momiji very theatrically, as he elbowed him. Yuki wondered what in the world they could have up their sleeve now. Just then, Kyo walked out of the bathroom with a towel around in his waist. Him and Yuki exchanged a long, profound and angry glare, then turned their separate ways.

"Now's your chance, Momiji-kun! Do it!" Yuki heard Haru whisper loudly.

"I can't! You elbowed me really harddd…" Momiji told him, blubbering. Haru slapped Momiji's back, and cleared his throat. He gasped loudly.

"Oh no, Momiji! Look at this!" Haru said, raising his shoulders and looking at Yuki and Kyo.

"What is this bull…" Kyo asked Haru menacingly. Haru chuckled.

"What is wrong, Haru-kun?" Momiji asked, looking sweetly up at Haru.

"Well… I suppose Kyo-kun! (He points at Kyo, who seems lost) and Yuki-kun! (He points at Yuki-kun, who seems to have finally caught on) will have to…" Haru continued, rubbing his chin. "Sleep together." When he said this, invisible daggers flew between Kyo and Yuki. Kyo approached the bed. Yuki smiled a dishonest smile.

"Go away." Yuki said, still smiling. Kyo sent him an angry look.

"I CALL BED, RAT!" Kyo said, as he threw his suitcase on the bed.

"Get your filth off my bed." Yuki commanded, his smile changing to an angry look.

"Your bed? YOUR BED? Didn't you hear what I just said! Stupid rat…" Kyo said, as he now placed himself on the bed. A moment of silence followed and a strange laugh escaped Yuki's lips. Kyo looked at him, annoyed. Yuki was once again smiling.

"I warned you. Now you pay the price, cat." Yuki said, as he got up. Before Kyo even had time to get up or to say anything, he was flying through the air and cleanly through the wall. He landed on a carpeted floor, similar to the one in his room. Uo, Hana, Tohru, and Rin all looked to see what had happened. Rin simply sighed and turned back to her reading. Momiji came to the whole in the wall and laughed.

"Look Tohru! Now we can visit you at night!" Momiji told her. Tohru sweatdropped.

"I'd like that…" Haru said, as he looked Rin's way. Rin did not look up.

"Haru, please call downstairs to seal this thing up." Yuki ordered, as he walked towards the room. Kyo leaned his elbows on the floor. He was on his stomach, and he looked up at the girls.

"Kyo-kun… Did you and Yuki have a fight? Are you okay?" Tohru asked from her bed, looking at him.

"I'm f… Fine. Stupid… Rat…" He swiped at a gash of blood on his temple. Tohru came beside him and looked at him worriedly.

"Kyo-kun… Please let me bandage you up…" She asked him, while looking down at her hands. He looked at her and found himself agreeing.

"… Thanks Tohru…" Kyo told her, as she was wrapping a long, thick and white cloth around his head.

" It's alright, Kyo-kun." Tohru told him with a smile. An awkward moment of silence followed.

"What was"

"Do you" Tohru and Kyo tried to speak at the same time. Tohru giggled and Kyo blushed.

"Um… No, you go first, Tohru." Kyo asked.

"Oh! Well, I was just going to ask what you and Yuki-kun were fighting about…" Tohru told him.

"Oh well… Haru and Momiji set us up so that we would have to sleep in the same bed… And I wanted the bed, so did Yuki… He got mad though, and hit me hard…" Tohru was listening attentively. _'She's way too nice to me… No one else ever really listened to what I had to say… Excluding dad…'_ He thought. He looked up at Tohru, who was still bandaging his head. He sighed.

"It was all just very childish, I guess." Kyo told her, leaning his chin into his palm. She looked down at him sympathetically. He blushed and turned away.

"And what was it that Kyo-kun wanted to ask me?" Tohru asked.

"Uhmm… Ahhh…" He began, blushing crazily. She tilted her head and stopped bandaging.

"Have I done something wrong? AGH! It must be your bandages, right? They seem much too tight! Sorry…" Tohru sighed while closing her eyes and beginning to unravel the bandages.

"NO! It's ahh… Not that." Kyo shouted. Tohru jumped back.

"Sorry. Uhmm… Well, thanks for bandaging me. That's really kind." Kyo told her.

"Oh! It's okay. Anytime for Kyo-kun!" She smiled brightly. He flushed. She turned around and began walking out of the bathroom.

"Uhm. Tohru, that wasn't what I wanted to ask you..." He said as he pulled on her sleeve.

"Oh! Ahh! Sorry, Kyo-kun… So what is it that you wanted to ask?" She asked sweetly. He came up to her and pinned her against the wall. He trapped her between his outstretched arms, making sure his chest was nowhere near hers. His head was down, and Tohru had a clueless look on accompanied by a bright pink blush on her cheeks.

"Would… Would Tohru-kun like to go somewhere… I mean… Would Tohru-kun like to eat supper… Ahmm… No…" Kyo-kun was so red, he looked like he was about to explode. Tohru blushed a little more.

"Kyo-kun would like to eat out with me?" she suggested. He looked down again and trying to hide his hot face with a hand. He nodded.

"Urmm… Only if you want to though…" He blurted out. She laughed.

"Of course! I would love to!" She smiled. He looked up at her and let a weak smile appear.

'_I did it. Yes.'_ Kyo told himself. He let her out of the bathroom and followed her. Maybe Kyo did have a chance at what he was after, in the end?

"Jeez, what took you so long in there! Did something… Happen?" Uo asked, as she watched Kyo walk out the bathroom door. He became red.

"What are you talking about, ya dumb Yankee." Kyo asked.

"You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, dumb Kyon-Kyon." She replied, with a chuckle.

"Uhh! How can… HOW CAN YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT!" He realized what she was saying only now. He slammed their front door and walked into his own from the hallway. He was muttering some words, it sounded like this: "Crude… Dumb Yankee… Tries to get attention… Says disgusting things… Idiot…"

"What would we have done in there? What do you mean, Uo-chan?" Tohru asked, innocently. Uo began tearing.

"Aww Tohru! You're too cute!" Uo said, grabbing Tohru in her embrace. Tohru still looked confused. She looked to Hana-chan for help. Hana shook her head.

"Tohru-chan, Uo-chan is just being silly." She said. Tohru looked worried. Rin rolled her eyes and continued reading her book while Uo hugged Tohru. Uo and Hana both shared a thought.

'_Many boys are after Tohru. Protection will be challenging.' _

* * *

_That's chapter 8! How was it?_

_Haha… Rin rolls her eyes so much in this story, her eyes just might fall out of her sockets! Shes so pretty, that's probably what she deserves for being overly pretty… And Momiji-kun is much too adorable. _

_Thanks to all my readers! (that includes those of the PMS and the Momiji story!)_

_**SPECIAL THANKS to Anters** for suggesting the English-Japanese thing. I hope what I did was okay…_

_Until next time!_


	9. Lovely Mistakes

**CHAPTER 9:Lovely Mistakes **

* * *

The whole gang walked the streets of New York. Well, Momiji skipped joyfully and Haru and Yuki were sort of dragging along, but they still all were walking.

"Tohhru-chann! Sing a song with mee!" Momiji yelped out as he held Tohru's hand and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"What would you like to sing, Momiji-kun?" She asked him. He looked up to the bright blue skies and seemed to think for a bit.

"Maybe we should sing an English song, because we're in New York!" Momiji exclaimed. Tohru giggled.

" I have a good English song!" Momiji told her. He then cleared his throat and began to sing softly.

" : _Twinkle, twinkle little star! How I wonn-der, where youu areee… Up above the cloud so highhh… Like a diamond in the skyyy…_ : " Momiji slowed down and looked up at Tohru. She seemed a bit lost.

"Why aren't you singing, Tohru-chan?" Momiji asked.

"Oh… I don't know that song, Momiji-kun… Sorry…" She said, looking down. Momiji perked up.

"No no, Tohru-kun! It's okay!" He was about to jump on her to give her a great big hug when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't, stupid rabbit! It's bad enough that you do it at home in Japan, don't let me catch you being seen by someone in another country!" Kyo said as he lifted Momiji. He then "kindly" placed him back to the ground and Momiji snuffled a couple of times. Then, he became his cheery self and ran back to speak with Tohru.

Yuki watched her. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Tohru happy like that, just because of those more simple things. Haru looked at Yuki's face.

"Yuki. Why won't you just tell her already." He asked. Yuki, who was daydreaming, blushed because this surprised him. He was about to give Haru some lame excuse, but he then realized that Haru probably knew him better than he even knew himself. His expression became dark.

"Because… I know she doesn't feel the same way and… Our friendship would probably be affected…" He replied coldly. Haru smiled a warm smile.

"Well… If you really want to keep lying to yourself and live long, long years while you're near her, then go ahead and keep saying that. But you and I both know that your heart won't be at ease until you tell her." Haru told him. Yuki swallowed.

'_Stupid Haru. He shouldn't be allowed to know me this well.' _

"So you're right. No one can tell though if my heart isn't at ease, so why does it matter…" Yuki said, brushing his cheeks to try to lessen the reddening.

"Tohru can tell. Easily. I can tell. Momiji won't say it, but he can tell. Heck, even Kyo can tell, but he doesn't really care. My point is, you think no one likes you, Yuki. Everyone cares, whether you believe it or not. Stop letting Akito's… Idiocies ruin you." Haru softened that last part. Yuki looked down. His pupils widened and he found himself gasping for air.

"Yuki-kun. Take deep breaths… I'm sorry, I didn't mean for…" Haru told him, reaching out for his face. Yuki shook his head, still having trouble breathing. He patted Haru's shoulder and forced a smile.

"It's okay Haru. It's just me, I'm so weak…" Yuki began.

"It hurts you. I'm sorry." Haru said.

"Can we… Slow down… A little… Haru…" Yuki puffed out as he fell against Haru, who caught him.

"Everyone, can we take a break? Yuki is having a little asthma attack." Haru shouted out. Everone turned around fast to see what was going on.

"YUKI-KUN!" Tohru gasped as she ran towards Yuki. He smiled despite his difficulty to breathe, because he was certain that that would have been Tohru's reaction.

"We were walking too fast, right? Sorryyy Yuki…" Tohru told Yuki, who was lightly chuckling. Tohru's expression changed, as if she was wondering what was going on. He looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I knew you would react like this… Hehe…" Yuki grasped his chest in pain. Tohru looked concerned and reached out to try to help him. He got a good look at her.

"You look nice. Blue suits you…" He said, eyeing her blue dress. She blushed.

"Yuki-kun… Umm… I ahh…" She tried to formulate a coherent sentence. He chuckled. Haru watched this with his arms crossed. He liked it when Yuki was happy like he was now.

"Haru. You're too nice." Rin informed Haru. They were sitting on a bench, because everyone decided to take their break there.

"Hmm? Come again?" He asked. She sighed.

"You're too nice." She repeated. He looked out in front of him as he stretched his arms high.

"Mmmk…" Haru told her nonchalantly. She looked at him and closed her eyes tightly. They had all bought pretzels from a vendor on the streets, and Rin carefully nibbled hers. She then slowly licked her lips. She sighed.

"Don't you get it, Haru? I don't need you anymore! I just don't get why…" Rin began, in a most frustrated tone. Haru had an angered look on his face.

"Rin, if you don't want to be with me anymore, that's fine. I would just really appreciate it if you would stop lying about it..." Haru told her. She looked up at him, saddened.

"What do you mean." Rin said.

"You know what I mean." Haru replied. A silence followed.

"Haru… I don't…"Rin began. Haru angrily placed his hand on her thigh and looked into her eyes, which were confused.

"Rin, don't pretend like you don't know, okay? It's not like one day we're fine, you're in the hospital and then you break up with me. I don't think it has much to do with you not needing me. In fact, I know you still do need me, so there's no need to lie…" Haru said this in a low growl. Rin's eyes were glazed with moist.

"And besides Rin… When I'm without you… I'm not complete." Haru began, as he blushed.

"I need you." Haru finished. Rin looked away from Haru for a moment, as tears stung in her eyes. A single tear fell to the ground as she leaned down on the chair.

"A…Aki…To…" Rin stuttered, flushing a darker shade. Haru looked down at her face.

"I knew it… _The little_…" Haru began, a terrible frown spreading across his face. She looked up, terrified. She grabbed his sleeve and looked at him with those teary eyes.

"Haru! You… You can't do… Please, you…" She began, as she burst into tears and lay on her thighs. Her body shook hard every time she gasped for air between sobs. Haru looked down at her again. He slowly rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. He then placed his lips near Rin's ear.

"Rin… Don't try to do everything on your own… I don't care if Akito hurts me. What really hurts is… Me not having you. Me not seeing you. Seeing you being… Sad, Alone… Or even worse… Thinking of you… Being with some other guy… Who won't treat you as well… Who won't care as much…" Haru whispered softly. He sweetly kissed the corner of Rin's lips and she blushed.

'_So… I was just hurting him more…'_ Rin thought. This made her depressed.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier on…" Rin asked calmly. Haru smiled sympathetically.

"Because you were so caught up in not talking to me, avoiding me… Resisting me, that you wouldn't even listen to what I had to say." Haru informed her. She noticed Haru's warm embrace closing in on her. It wasn't something she disliked… At all. In fact, she loved it so much, she let herself rest in it and tucked herself in it even deeper.

"Haru… I know… How much I love you… I don't care what happens anymore… I just want to be with you… Always…" She said, sobbing quietly. Haru smiled at his lover, although she could not see it. He softly kissed the top of her head, and looked to that blue, clear sky, thanking it for whatever had changed in Rin to make her realize… How much she was worth to him…

'_Thank you… So very much…' _

"Ah! Everyone, Kyo-kun and I will be going to eat now… So can we meet you at the hotel later on?" Tohru told the group, enthused. Momiji was near Tohru, Haru and Rin were on the bench, in a tight embrace (Tohru wondered if something bad happened?), Yuki-kun was lying on the bench, trying to relax and Kyo-kun was standing next to her, timidly. She quickly ran up to Yuki.

"Yuki-kun… Kyo-kun, maybe we should stay…" Tohru suggested, as she looked down upon Yuki.

In normal circumstances, Yuki would have made Tohru stay with him, firstly because he wanted-no, needed- her warm kindness near him when he was unwell and secondly, because it was that idiot cat she was going to go out with… But he felt extremely sick…

'_Also, I have… A lot of respect… For Kyo in the sense that… He was brave enough to at least try to reveal a part of his feelings for Tohru to her… And for that, because I have not yet had that kind of courage… I will allow it.' _Yuki thought. He then plastered a fake smile on his face and chuckled lightly.

"I'll be fine Tohru. Momiji-kun and Haru-kun will take good care of me. Have fun with that idiot. Make sure he pays, okay? And buy whatever you want to eat… Try to make it something expensive, hmm?" Yuki told Tohru. She had the dizzy look on.

"**STUPID RAT!** Of course I was going to pay, anyway…" Kyo shouted.

"Well, that's surprising. You're not as dumb as I thought, then." Yuki replied.

"Aghh… **YOU PISS ME OFF SO MUCH!"** Kyo screamed, as he stomped off to a tree. He leaned himself against it and crossed his arms. His face was red with anger and embarrassment. Tohru seemed confused. Yuki patted her back and smiled strangely.

"Go. Have fun." He told her, still wearing the strange expression. Toru tried to decode it, but smiled it return instead and nodded her head. She ran off to Kyo when suddenly, she realized what the expression was…

_Jealousy. _

Before she could reflect any more, she bumped into a tree and dropped to the ground. Kyo came running.

"Tohru-kun! Don't be stupid! Watch where you're going next time!" He yelled. Tohru jumped up quickly.

"Yes!" She shouted.

"And… You don't have to do that 'yes!' thing all the time…"Kyo added. Tohru thought about this for some time.

"Yeeeahhhhh…" Was her reply. Kyo slapped his forehead.

"Oh nevermind… I'm just being… Silly…" Kyo told her, blushing. She blinked.

"So uhmm Tohru… What do you want to eat?" Kyo asked her. She thought.

"Do they have any takoyaki in America?" Tohru asked him.

"I'm… Not… Certain…" Kyo replied, unsurely. She did a thumbs up to him, smiling, and walked up to a businesswoman walking the street.

": Umm… Excuse me… Do you… Takoyaki:" Tohru asked, embarrassed. The businesswoman simply sneered at her and walked away. Tohru's English, after all, was not all that good…

"Tohru, is everything okay?" Kyo asked, as he walked up.

"Ermm… The lady ran away…" She said. Kyo laughed.

"Then, let's assume there's no takoyaki in America. Why don't we just go there?" He pointed to a quiet looking restaurant. Tohru liked it immediately.

"Okay Kyo-kun! Looks good!" Tohru said, as she skipped towards the restaurant.

"So Tohru-kun… Ahmm… Have you ahhh… I mean… Umm… What is your favorite food?" Kyo said, loudly. He blushed deeply. Tohru giggled.

"My favorite food? Hmm… I suppose I like onigiri very much!" Tohru smiled.

"What food does Kyo-kun love?" She asked him, leaning her chin on her fingers. He sighed.

"Well… Anything you cook is delicious… So ahmm…" He wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, someone interrupted him before he could continue his ramblings.

" : Can I take your order: " Tohru gasped.

" : Stephen-san: "

* * *

_**Takoyaki**: (Shigures power food, by the way. I believe it's also Ritsu's favorite.) A sort of pastry filled with octopus. Supposedly, it's very good._

_**Onigiri**: Well, if you REALLY don't know, it's a riceball. Sometimes it has a strip of seaweed on it, not always. _

* * *

_YOOOOHOOO_

_chapter fiiiniiished! I think it was long… Oh well!_

_This chapter… Part of it is for Viv, my dear reviewer who wanted more Haru/Rin scenes. Well, here they are!;) Hoped all you reviewers (whom I heart, by the way) enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing and sorry this chapter was late!_

_Until next time (Ja ne!)_


	10. The Storm After the Calm

**CHAPTER 10: The Storm After the Calm**

* * *

"Stephen-san!" Tohru yelped as she stared at her waiter. There he was, that cute boy that helped her in the hotel lobby. What was he doing in a place like this? He also seemed surprised. His face lit up as he suddenly caught on.

"Ahh… You're Mr. Sohma's guest, aren't you…" He asked. Kyo looked kind of confused, but thought better than to ask anything.

'_Great. I knew I should have told her sooner. Another guy's already after her.' _He thought crossly. Tohru turned to Kyo.

"Kyo-kun, this is Stephen-san! I met him at the hotel; he was kind enough to help me and the girls out… We weren't sure which room we were in!" She giggled. Kyo snorted out some air, and looked into Stephen's eyes.

"And who're you?" Stephen asked, mischievously. Kyo looked away.

"I'm Kyo Sohma." He told him, curtly. Stephen smirked. He looked back at Tohru.

"So what's your name, hmm?" Stephen asked the cute girl sitting below him.

"I'm Honda Tohru! Pleased to meet you… Again!" She laughed a little there. Stephen nodded his head.

"And how are you related to the Sohmas?" Stephen asked politely. Tohru smiled brightly.

"Oh! Well, I've been living with them" She began, before being interrupted by Kyo.

"I really don't think that's any of your business." Kyo told Stephen, looking straight into his eyes. Tohru seemed confused, but the two men knew exactly what was going on. Invisible daggers flew through the air separating the two. Stephen suddenly put on an innocent expression and raised his hands so his palms faced the two teenagers.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to offend anyone!" He told them.

"You didn't…" Tohru mumbled, confused.

"Can we just order now, please?" Kyo asked, annoyed. Tohru felt very uneasy, she felt some sort of a tension between the two boys… Stephen smiled.

"Sure. That's what I'm here for." The couple placed their order and waited silently. Tohru broke it.

"Is… Is Kyo-kun angry with… Stephen-san…" Tohru suggested shyly.

"**NO!** **ahem**… I mean no… I'm not…" Kyo replied loudly. He sighed.

"Are you mad… At me?" Tohru asked once again.

"Of course not, Tohru-kun." Kyo replied distantly. Tohru felt embarrassed… She knew something was up, but she wasn't exactly certain of what…

'_What is… Kyo-kun thinking right now, I wonder…'_ Tohru's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the wafting smell of food. It was coming closer to their table. She shook Kyo's shoulder.

"Look Kyo-kun!" She said, as she pointed excitedly at the food. Kyo looked bored.

"Don't get so excited, Tohru. It's just a pile of… Crappy American food…" He told her calmly. After hearing this, she pulled back her finger and sat back quietly in her chair. Kyo sort of regretted that comment, she seemed sort of hurt.

"Lunch is served." Stephen said, as he set a bowl of spaghetti in front of Kyo and grilled chicken marinated in a sweet sauce in front of Tohru. They both looked impressed.

"This looks amazing!" Tohru said, gasping. Stephen laughed.

"You shouldn't get so worked up. These are both very normal meals here in America." Stephen informed them.

"I'm not worked up." Kyo told Stephen in a very straightforward way. Stephen smiled.

"Of course you aren't. Well Miss Honda, Mr. Sohma, I hope to be seeing you soon… Remember, if you need any help in the hotel…" Stephen replied quickly to Kyo, who simply grumbled. Tohru finished Stephen's affirmation.

"I'll ask for you, Stephen! Thanks again!" Tohru said, cheerily. Stephen smiled.

"Well, I'd better get back to work. Bye guys." Stephen told them. Kyo seemed angry and Tohru didn't understand why. She waved goodbye to Stephen and he smiled at her. She turned to Kyo. She seemed worried. Kyo looked into her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry Tohru… I'm just being an idiot. I'm not mad at you, it has nothing to do with you…" Kyo told her. She seemed relieved.

"Well… Can you talk to me about it?" Tohru said, as she remembered that dark, rainy night when she saw Kyo-kun's true form. She pleaded that they suffer together, that they solve their problems together… It was important for her to hear about his problems.

"I… I just want to know… What's on your mind…" Tohru asked. Kyo saw that was worried, and simply wanted to know if she could help him. He couldn't help but smile, she was so cute when she was worried…

"Well, it… It doesn't matter. Let's talk about it later, okay? I… I promise." He told her. Tohru felt better knowing that he could someday be able to talk about it. She smiled at him.

"Okay! We can talk about it when you're ready." She told him. He smiled down at her.

'_Tohru… All I think about is you, whether we're together or apart… Can't you see that the only thing I will ever need or desire is you?' _

": Jesus, Stephen! You're gonna lose your job again! You know you shouldn't flirt up customers…:" a concerned coworker told him as he vigorously scrubbed a dish in the kitchen. Stephen smirked.

":Whatever. Did you see that though:" Stephen said as he leaned against the counter. The coworker looked up at him, and went back to his work angrily.

":Some people here can't afford to lose their job, okay:" The coworker told him. Stephen laughed.

": Even if you didn't work, you'd still be the hardest working person in this dump.:" Stephen told him, as he cupped some dish soap bubbles and blew them onto his coworker's face. The coworker brushed them off. Stephen continued.

": It would be so easy to get that girl, dude. And do you know how funny it would be? Did you see how that guy's totally in love with her but won't do anything about it? Pretty hilarious, if you ask me.:" Stephen confided. The coworker sighed.

":Stephen, we're not all as daring as you, alright:" The coworker told him.

":Well gee, last time I checked, dying your hair orange was something I'd call daring. This kid is just a retard, and even he knows it.:" Stephen said with a smirk. The coworker did not reply.

": Stephen! We pay you for a reason! Get your butt over here, we need these orders to be at table 12 in about three seconds or you're fired:" Someone screamed in the background. Stephen sighed and jogged to the area where he was needed. The coworker simply shook his head.

"Yuki-kunnn… This is boring!" Momiji moaned as he tugged on Yuki's sleeve. The gang (minus Kyo and Tohru) had decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of NYC. It had all kinds of interesting Greek art, but Momiji didn't seem to be interested. Everyone looked around to see the boy that was talking so loudly in the exhibit. Hanajima shocked some of the people that tried to get near to see Momiji.

"Momiji-kun! You're not supposed to speak loud like that in a museum!" Yuki whispered as he held Momiji's face. Momiji looked up at him innocently. He nodded.

"Okay. I'll try to be more careful, Yun-kun." Momiji told him. Yuki blushed.

"Where…. Where on earth did you get that nickname?" Yuki asked embarrassed. Momiji smiled and giggled.

"Kagura-chan!"Momiji yelled loudly. Yuki grabbed Momiji by the waist and told him that he really had to be quieter in these types of places.

"Oi. Yuki." Haru told him, as Yuki spun around with surprised Momiji in his arms.

"Oh. What is it, Haru?" Yuki asked simply. Haru looked at Rin, and she nodded.

"I need to speak with you." Haru told him. Yuki looked confused, but nodded and walked over to Haru, leaving Momiji with Rin. Haru brushed some hair away from Rin's left ear, and whispered something in it. He leaned close. She listened attentively, and nodded afterwards. Yuki and Haru walked off. Rin was left with Momiji. He knelt down to tie his shoelace.

"What are they going to talk about?" Momiji asked loudly. Everyone looked at Momiji to try to hush him, because he had once again forgotten they were in an art museum. Rin didn't much seem to mind and never replied to Momiji's question. She simply kept staring at the place where Haru disappeared, as if she were in shock or paralyzed.

"Yuki…" Haru said softly. They had gone outside. The boys had already been sitting on the stairs for a long time, without saying a word. Yuki had buried his face in his knees and Haru was sitting near him. Yuki did not move.

"What." was the muffled word that came from Yuki's hidden face.

"You know what I want to speak of with you, right?" Haru said, very smoothly once again. Yuki did not reply and Haru took this as a yes.

"I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. I simply cannot." Haru simply said and rested his chin on his knees. Yuki's eyes popped up from where they were hiding.

"He beat me to her. The stupid cat." Yuki said. They stayed in silence for a while. It was a painful silence, that gave them both time to reflect. Haru decided to reply.

"How did he beat you? Just because he asked her out, doesn't mean he 'won' anything! I'm really sick of this, Yuki," Haru said this as he got up. He continued, "if you're going to keep hurting yourself like this, I will kill you now. Because hey, what is the point in living if you're always being hurt, hmm? It's not fair that someone's always hurting you, and that you pretend like you don't care because you think no one cares. I tried to express my concern last time, but I don't think you quite got the seriousness of it at all. Everyone's worried, Yuki. It's not fair that" Yuki suddenly cut off Haru in the middle of his sentence. He got up to stand, so he could be face to face with Haru.

"Haru, do you think anything about my life has been fair? Do you think it was fair that Akito beat me and left me to rot in that room? Do you think it was fair that my mother didn't really care, and that she just abandoned me? Do you think it was fair that Ayame never helped me before, that he never cared either? Do you think it was fair that Hatori erased all my friends' memories of me? If all my life has been unfair, and I've always been hurting, then yeah, I'm wondering why I haven't killed myself yet either! It doesn't make sense that no one cared before and that now they're all over me! You're just a kid; I doubt you'd understand anything I'm saying! Because everyday of my life, I am hurting… Because there is nothing I can do… For Honda-san…" Yuki said. The screaming was liberating, and tears spilled out of Yuki's eyes. He sobbed harshly, and sat down to try and grasp control of everything. Haru sat down beside him. Haru patted Yuki's back. Yuki looked at Haru.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean you were just a child. You're actually incredibly mature and…" Yuki struggled. Haru came closer to his ear.

"Do things at your own pace, alright Yuki? Just talk to me. We'll take it slowly, and you can tell me everything. And we can figure everything out." Haru told him confidentially. Yuki nodded, and cried a little more.

'_Honda-san… You have made me happy. You've made me able to live in a better environment… I wish I could someday make you happy…Something just foryou.' _

* * *

_DONEEE! Sorry it took so long. This chapter is sort of short, so I'm sorry. Really, I have been working on my new story, "Cosplay Heroes". If you like cosplay, you should check it out! (although I've only done 1 chapter, haha…)_

_By the way, don't worry. Yun-yun doesn't get worked up for any little old thing! There will be a good reason for all this._

_Anyway… There isn't much to say. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Thanks again to all my lovely readers, I have 38 reviews thanks to you! I truly love you. Thank you._

_Please review if you can(and are willing to...)! Arigato!_

_Until next time._


	11. Laughing Rats and Honest Cats

**CHAPTER 11: Laughing Rats and Honest Cats**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Kyo and Tohru sat close together near a bike path and listened to the hum of cars and buses coming from the main area of the city. There was at least a little greenery here… That was why they had chosen the spot to relax for a little.

"Ahh! Greenery really is rare here, ne, Kyo-kun? It's very refreshing, this place we found…" Tohru exclaimed as she watched a person roller-skate by. She inhaled a great amount of the fresh air and tried to keep it in her lungs as long as possible. Kyo watched her inhale and chuckled softly. She looked up at him and blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry… It's just… I'm used to having so much greenery around me, like in Kyoto, I just never realized how much I appreciated it, I suppose." She told him, as she leaned into the tree that was behind them. He smiled gently and watched her hair flow in the slight breeze that whirled around them. He sighed and brushed his fingers on a couple of her strands of brown hair.

"You are… Funny." He said as he quickly pulled his fingers away and crossed his arms on his chest. He cleared his throat and he felt his cheeks flush. Tohru looked at his face, and felt herself worry a little. She looked down at her lap and looked to Kyo's large manly hand. She touched it, and proceeded to take his hand in hers. She looked at every print in his hand, tracing even the slightest line with her index. She noticed how well her hand fit in his. She blushed a little, and looked down at their joined hands.

"Ano… Kyo-kun… I was wondering… About earlier at the restaurant… Did something happen to make you… Angry with me?" Tohru asked, worried Kyo might have been angry with something she had said. Kyo felt his knuckles jolt as he thought about that loser Stephen who was trying to woo Tohru or something… He lightly punched a fist onto the ground.

"No. Not at all… It's not like that." He muttered through clenched teeth. He looked away from Tohru. He then felt a drop of water fall onto his hand, and he wondered why it was raining so suddenly… But then as he looked to Tohru, he realized it wasn't rain at all, but a teardrop that fell from the young girl's eyes.

"T… Tohru!" He shouted, placing his free hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the cat, smiling with moisture dripping down her cheeks.

"Kyo-kun is… An important person to me and… When I know I've done something to make someone special to me angry which he won't even talk with me about… I feel like… I'm the worst…" She said, shutting her eyes tightly, allowing more streaks of tears to flow out of her big brown eyes. Kyo blushed and had his mouth wide open.

'_What an idiot I am…'_ Kyo thought to himself, as he smiled gently and rubbed her shoulder in what he thought was a comforting way.

"Like I said, Tohru… It's not like that." He said, and crawled in front of her to look directly in her eyes. She looked up at him timidly, eager to hear what he had to say. He wiped a tear from her cheek, and brought it to his lips.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with you… You are beautiful, and I'm sorry I worried you… The problem is… That damned guy… Who won't stop… Trying to… Ungh…" He said, as he blushed mightily. He pressed his palm into his forehead and looked away from Tohru's eyes, his cheeks turning a bright pink that made Tohru smile. Kyo looked back at her, and saw the smile.

"I… I'm sorry; it's hard for me to say right now…" Kyo stuttered, returning to his initial seating next to Tohru. She took the boy's hand back into her own, and searched it for any imperfections.

"As long as… You aren't angry with me…" She said, sniveling and bringing her hand up to wipe off the tear. He looked at her with a more serious expression.

'_I love you… Can't you see that?'_ Instead of saying what was on his mind, he settled for: "Tohru-kun… I… Promise. It's not you." He told her, lifting the girl up and catching her by the waist, as she was about to fall. There was no contact between them; otherwise Kyo would have turned into a cat. Tohru turned around and looked into the man's eyes. She found, that day, that his eyes were clouded over, even solemn looking. She blushed and couldn't bear to look again… What could he have been thinking that day?

'_I love you, I love you… Gods, I love you… There's no way for me to tell you how I feel now that it's built up to this.' _

Uotani had been fairly quiet for quite a while now, not wanting to disturb the many fiascos that had occurred all at once. She had tried to study each one of the Sohmas minutely, and she had to admit she found it difficult…

They were dark people with many problems, apparently. She was most intrigued though, by someone she thought she had known…

The prince. He seemed totally different now that they were here. In fact, she had always thought he was flawless. Now she saw him for whom he really was, as he cried outside on the steps of the museum's entrance. Someone who was so extremely troubled, he would even dar to cry in such a public place. Time froze for a few moments, as Arisa recollected for a few instants.

"_Oi, Tohru-chan! Look at that guy over there… Totally hot!"_A short-haired, rebellious Arisa shouted out. She pulled on Tohru's jacket sleeve with one hand, and pointed at a muscled, black-haired boy who sat drinking hot tea on a bench. Snow was all over his blue jeans and black sneakers.

"_Eh? Who, Uo-chan?"_ Tohru replied, looking around enthusiastically. Uotani tugged on one of the girl's braids jokingly and directed the girl's eyes towards the man. Tohru's eyes lit up.

"_Ah, but… He looks kind of scary, Uo-chan! Like a gang member, or something. Someone who beats people up!"_ Tohru said to Arisa quietly, trying not to make the guy interested in their conversation.

"_I know, totally my type, right?"_ Uo-chan shouted, as she balled her fists and placed them on her hips. She laughed loudly and looked down at Tohru, who seemed timid.

"_A… Ano… Would you like me to go speak to him for you?"_ Tohru asked reluctantly. Uo-chan stop laughing and made them continue to walk.

"_Nah… Oi oi, don't suggest things you don't want to do, silly!"_ Uo had said, mussing up her friend's hair. The two younger girls laughed gleefully, though Arisa had been a little hurt at the time…

This distant memoir made Arisa think about something; ever since she had said that about that guy and turned into the person she was today, she didn't even know what type of guy she was into. Obviously, those gangsters types did not interest her anymore… So then, which type of men did? Maybe Arisa had turned into a downright softie, and was falling for gentle men… _'Hopefully not!'_ Arisa thought to herself, and she slapped the back of her hand of her cheek. Hana and Momiji walked up to her.

"Uo-chan, is something wrong?" The blond haired bubbly boy shouted out.

": Pipe down over there:" A british person hissed out at Momiji as he stared at a painting.

":Sorry…:" Momiji said in English. Arisa found his accent both cute and amusing.

"I'm fine, kiddo. Hana-chan, wanna ditch this place?" Uotani suggested, as she yawned openly at a bronze sculpture of a woman. Hanajima covered her mouth with her hand to giggle.

"Yes. That sounds nice, Uo-chan." Momiji jumped and grabbed Saki's hand, and the three began to walk towards to exit. Hana made the duo continue on as she dragged behind. She stood there for a few instants, feeling Isuzu's gaze upon her. She swiftly turned her head around and looked at the girl in the eyes.

"Shall we go then?" Saki asked, as she whisked herself away after saying that. Isuzu wondered what that strange girl was speaking of, and shrugged her shoulders. She followed the gothic girl from far, just in case she was trying to pull something.

Yuki continued to sob with his face in his knees, and Haru leaned his head on the boy's frail shoulder.

"It will be alright." Haru told the boy, who nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but because there wasn't much else he could say. Haru suddenly gave a final pat on Yuki's back and ran to a pretzel stand. Yuki looked up, wondering what he was doing. Haru came running back with something cradled in his arms.

"Here. Take it." Haru said, handing over some sort of gooey, meaty mess all wrapped in tin foil on a stick. Yuki was particularly picky with food, so Haru let out a chuckle when he saw deception painted all over the boy's face.

"Err… Haru. What is this?" Yuki asked the boy, accepting the food reluctantly. Haru was clutching his side now because he was laughing so hard. He sat down next to Yuki.

"Haha… Yuki, I have no idea… I just pointed at it and the guy was making me buy it… I thought it might be fun to try it… You don't have to eat it though." Haru found all this fairly amusing, as he was almost in tears he was laughing so hard. Yuki smiled although he was totally disgusted.

"Well… Eh… I guess if you bought this for me, I should at least… Try it…" Yuki said, as he delicately placed a piece of the meat on his tongue. He closed his mouth and looked up at the sky.

"Hmmm… Not half bad, actually. You try." Yuki said offering some to his friend.

"Ah, thanks." Haru said, dirtying his fingers in the brown sauce as he grabbed a heaping amount of the unknown food. Yuki pawed at Haru's hand as he ate half the contents of the food Haru had bought him.

"Hey! I thought you said you bought this for me! The truth is… I was actually pretty hungry…" Yuki said, blushing as he plopped another piece in his mouth. Haru looked crookedly at his friend as he himself licked the remnants of the food off his own fingers.

"Hmm… Me too, actually. Hey, let's go get everyone so we can have a proper bite to eat, okay?" Haru said, pulling on Yuki's sleeve to pick him up. Yuki looked up to Haru, as he licked a little of the sauce in the corner of his mouth.

"Hatsuharu?" Yuki said, staring at Haru. Haru looked down at the boy. The prince smiled instantly.

"Thanks. Thank you." Yuki said finally getting up. Haru smiled warmly, and grabbed the frail boy by the side and hugged him sideways. Yuki blushed, not used to human contact. Haru whispered into Yuki's ear.

"Anytime for you, Yuki, my friend." Yuki blushed further, and pushed Haru away from him as the cow of the Zodiac smiled happy to see his friend back in a good mood.

"Haru-chaaaaan! Yun-chaaaan! Haaaallo!" Momiji's familiar voice called out to them. Haru waved at Momiji, the gothic girl, the tomboy, and Rin. Yuki also let his hand up to wave lightly. As the group approached, the two boys got closer to them.

"Hey, we were thinking of going out to grab a bite to eat. What do you guys think?" Haru asked the group, who all seemed to respond in the affirmative.

"Yeah, my stomach has just started bugging me for a deposit… It's a good idea." Arisa nodded. They directed themselves towards a nearby café. Isuzu, as usual, trailed behind the group. She always felt this way, like she didn't belong, like she shouldn't belong. Haru looked back at her from the group. She felt her cheeks turn pink, and she looked down at the ground angrily. Why was it she had to get like this when all he did was look at her? Maybe it was just something beyond her control… She supposed she was still not used to them being back together.

Suddenly Haru was right next to her, holding her hand. He came close to her ear, so that he could whisper something.

"You belong… To me." He said, as if shattering all her fears. He them gently stroked her hair soothingly and sucked on her earlobe gently for a few moments. She lightly brushed his lips away, feeling as though her entire body had blushed to a dark crimson shade.

"That's… Something private. Only for us. Not here…" Rin told him, stuttering. He chuckled and grabbed her waist to pull her closer to him.

"Don't worry, I won't be sharing with anyone." He said, causing her to laugh. He held her tight, satisfied with his reply.

"You weirdo…" Isuzu said, between laughter. Haru chuckled, assuming a weirdo was better than nothing, and settled with just holding hands with his lover.

Two others were also holding hands as they entered the hotel. Kyo and Tohru had walked quite a while to get back to the hotel, as they had gotten lost searching through all the skyscrapers in the dark. It was pretty late, but they had gotten back in time. A man was at the reception, seemingly sleeping. He awoke when the automated doors slid open. It was Stephen.

"Ah, welcome back, Honda-san, Sohma-san. How was your evening out?" Stephen asked from the reception. Tohru let go of Kyo's hand with a blush. Kyo felt an anger surge within him again, as he felt this guy was trying to… Steal Tohru from him all the time.

"Ah, it was a great evening, thank you for asking, Stephen-san!" Tohru replied cheerily. Kyo walked up quickly beside Tohru, and stood there, silent for a moment.

"Did you also enjoy yourself, Kyo-san?" Stephen asked in a singsong way. Kyo ignored what Stephen said.

"Tohru, if we don't go to our rooms soon, everyone will be asleep and uhm… We will have to disturb them to, you know, get in. So we should get going." Kyo replied, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He pretended Stephen was not there.

"Ah, that's true, Kyo-kun… Well, I suppose we should be going. Goodbye, Stephen-kun!" Tohru shouted out, walking towards the elevator to go upstairs. Stephen climbed up from behind the desk.

"Wait… Tohru-san, I was wondering… Would you like to spend the morning with me tomorrow? I know a great place to have breakfast… And then maybe I could take you to some sights that are popular around here? What do you say?" Stephen asked fairly enthused for someone up this late. Tohru took a step back.

"Ah, well… I'm not really sure… I haven't spent much time with my friends…" She said. He came a bit closer to her.

"Oh, come now, it will be fun! I promise I won't take too long and maybe…" Stephen was then cut off by Kyo's arm and his loud, overpowering voice.

"The girl said she doesn't know! Quit harassing her!"

"Ahh… I see. Well, if ever you change your mind, I will be waiting for you in the lobby at nine… It would certainly be fun… It's up to you then, I guess." As he said his final words, he walked back to the desk and waved goodbye. Tohru looked at Kyo sadly.

"Kyo-kun… Why were you mean with Stephen-kun? He's nice to you…" Tohru asked shyly, brushing hands with Kyo. He cradled her hand with that one, and placed his other hand at the nape of her neck.

"Tohru-kun, can you not see it? He obviously… Is no good…" Kyo began.

'_If I cannot have you… Neither can he.'_

"That's why… At the restaurant… I got angry. I don't want him to…"

'_Are you really that blind? Is it really that you cannot se how I feel or… Do you try to ignore it because it frightens you?'_ Kyo thought to himself sadly. He traced the contour of her face with his hand and placed his hand on her shoulder.

'_I know you would never do it on purpose… But my heart is being broken by the sweetest girl I've ever known… Yet it's all my fault…'_

"Tohru… I want you to be mine and no one else's…!"

…_And so the cat finally spoke his mind_.

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_Sorry everyone. Really… I've gotten so busy during the summer and with school work before that, I never really got to doing this story. I've advanced it quite a bit, and I believe my writing has gotten a lot better, so I hope you aren't too mad at me…_

_Thanks again to all my reviewers. I promise to continue this story, even if it may take a while. Hopefully, you can all be patient?_

_Please review my story, and tell me about what you liked, and what you did not. I'd appreciate that. _

_PS the damn ruler adder thing isn't working on my computer so... I'll modify it later._

_PPS Thanks to Haschen for motivating me to restart updating. I'll try to live up to your high expectations. ;-) _

_Isuzu-Hanabi-Chan_


	12. Confrontations

**CHAPTER 12: Confrontations**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Tohru…I want you to be mine and no one else's…!" Kyo shouted out, with his hand on Tohru's shoulder. Tohru looked up at his eyes, which were shut tightly, as he shouted out what was on his mind in despair. She felt herself blush a deep shade of red, but she didn't care about that anymore. She couldn't do anything but stare at him, and wonder what it was that he meant.

"Well um… What I mean is that… I don't want that guy… Stephen… I dislike him. He can't have you…" Kyo said, opening his eyes to see the brown-eyed female, staring up at him innocently. She opened her mouth to speak.

"But um… Stephen is only my friend, Kyo-kun…" Tohru muttered, looking down at her feet.

"I… I know… What I meant is that… Well…" Kyo stuttered and was blushing, and the familiar tone of the elevator bell rang. They were at their floor. He turned around, to see his room's door. He brought a few strands of her hair to rub them on the side of his face. They felt like silk… He took himself away from Tohru and walked towards his room. Tohru was left there to blush.

"Good… Night. You can… Forget about what I said earlier…" Kyo finished, and opened the door to his room. Before entering, he looked back at the girl, with a truly solemn look in his eyes.

"I'm… So sorry, Tohru." He said, as he choked on her name, and shut the door swiftly. Tohru let herself sit in the elevator with shock apparent in her eyes. The elevator doors closed, as if shutting her off from someone whom she thought was her friend, Kyo-kun…

"_I want you to be mine and no one else's…!"_ Kyo's words resonated in the small elevator, and they hurt Tohru, somehow. What was he saying? She just didn't want to understand the meaning of those words… Tohru knew she herself had always had feelings for Kyo-chan, but she had always thought that if she hid it well enough, they could always be friends. But was Kyo just telling her, a few moments ago in the elevator, that he also had feelings for her?

…Were they in love without realizing it?

Tohru's thoughts were interrupted as the elevator opened on the first floor, and Stephen stood tall before her.

"Something wrong, Honda-san?" Stephen asked, as he entered the elevator. Tohru stood up immediately and tried to blink the thoughts out of her head.

"Ahh, Stephen-san… No, nothing's wrong. So what were you doing up so late?" Tohru asked, in the best enthusiastic voice she could. Stephen smirked.

"Why, I was waiting for you of course!" He told her, as he leaned on the wall of the elevator next to him. Tohru blushed.

"I'm sorry Kyo-kun was…" Tohru began, and Stphen closed his eyes and shook his head.

"There's no need to apologize… Hey, I can see the trauma in your eyes right now… Something happened in the elevator before, right?" Stephen asked, trying to change the subject. Tohru looked down at the ground as she felt a few tears begin to sting her eyes.

"W… Well…"

"Let me guess; the kid told you he loved you?" Stephen asked slyly, creating a gentle pink to spread across the girl's cheeks.

"Ha, what an idiot… Anyway, let's forget about that guy…" Stephen replied, scooting nearer to Tohru as the elevator doors closed. Tohru had pressed the button to her floor, then looked into Stephen's eyes sternly.

"Kyo-kun… Is not an idiot." She replied, and let herself lean on the wall of the elevator. Stephen rolled his eyes.

"Right, he's no idiot, I'm sorry… Hey, what do you think of me, Honda-san?" Stephen asked, looked into her eyes. Tohru blushed once again.

"Well… We're friends… Ne?" Tohru replied, and Stephen approached the girl frontally. He let his fingertips rub one of her thighs and then he made their noses touch. Tohru blushed and began to stutter. Stephen had a much more serious look on his features.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Please…! S… Stop it!"

Hana's eyelids flashed open. She quickly got out of bed, and turned on the lights, awakening both Isuzu and Arisa. Hana fumbled for some shoes, while Arisa looked to Saki.

"Hana?" Uo asked, as Isuzu watched from afar, rubbing her eyes and wondering what was going on. Hanajima simply looked up at Arisa, and said a couple of words.

"We're needed." Arisa momentarily hopped out of the bed and also slipped on her sneakers. Rin decided it would be best if she tagged along, just in case they got in trouble. She slipped on her black Goth boots, and followed Saki as she flew out the door with Arisa running like a rowdy chick. Isuzu walked out calm and collected, but then when she heard a girl's whimpering and a boy's cussing, she sped up her pace. Hanajima was comforting Tohru, who was in a heap on the ground, while Arisa was hitting and screaming at a boy with a smug look on his face. Isuzu quickly ran over to Tohru.

"Tohru-kun! What happened? What did that idiot do to you?" She asked as she knelt in front of the shivering girl, who seemed so little and helpless to Rin now.

"Only… Kyo-kun… Can do that!..." The girl whimpered and moaned, and Rin's gaze turned to something much more serious. Hanajima took Tohru's small frame into her arms and cradled her. Saki looked up at Rin for a few moments with an angry gaze, then buried her face in Tohru's hair. Rin got up swiftly, her hair flowing behind her, and she went nearer to Uotani and the guy.

"What the hell did you do, I said! I swear if you don't tell me now, I'll kick your ass so hard, it'll go up your throat, you jerk!" Arisa demanded, pinning the boy to the wall with her strong arms.

"Ohh… Feisty. I do like that in a chick though… Wanna get comfy, you and me?" The boy suggested. Arisa groaned loudly and slapped the boy across the face. He grumbled and began to smirk. He then looked over at Isuzu, who was getting angrier by the minute.

"W-o-w… Now you, girl, are hot. What do you say you we meet downstairs for a little fun? I'm sure your punk ass boyfriend won't mind at all… As long as no one tells him, right? Ehehe…" The boy chuckled evilly, and Isuzu walked up to him. She glared at him.

"Go die, asshole." As she insulted him, she swiftly brought her knee up in his crotch, and he yelped in pain. Arisa let him drop to the ground, and he struggled, to move and he held his two hands between his legs. She then went to pick up Tohru and cradled the small girl in her arms. She looked back at Tohru's two strange friends, who nodded in return. Isuzu took the elevator alone down to the boys' room. While they were in the elevator, Tohru looked into Rin's eyes.

"Thank you… Rin…" The girl struggled to say. Rin replied with a nod, and a fierce look forward, seeing whom she had to protect at all costs. As she walked up to their room, she knocked loudly.

Momiji wondered who it was at the door… It was very late, after all. Kyo was awake though, and so Momiji went to the door with him. Kyo looked through the peephole, and Momiji piped up.

"Kyo-chaan, who's there?" Momiji asked enthused and bubbly. As soon as Kyo looked, He seemed shocked and swiftly opened the door. Momiji saw Rin standing there, with a near lifeless Tohru in her arms. Momiji ran up to Rin, worried.

"Tohru!" Momiji simply cried, as he jolted up to Tohru and touched her arm. Kyo also approached Tohru, and very tenderly touched her bangs. He looked into Isuzu's eyes sternly.

"Go upstairs. They need you." Isuzu said simply, and Kyo was off running to the elevator. Isuzu then walked into the room and placed Tohru on the bed. Momiji ran up to Tohru and sat next to her on his bed. He ran her silky soft hair through his fingers, and looked at her sadly. Isuzu sat on the other side of the bed.

"Tohru… What happened?" Momiji asked in a loving tone. Tohru then opened her brown eyes and looked up at Momiji. Momiji saw through her eyes that she looked so fragile at that moment, so broken, so aching…

"Oh Momiji…" Tohru pleaded, as tears began to leak out of her eyes. Momiji felt tears drip out of his eyes as well, and couldn't help but jump in for a hug to comfort Tohru. He turned almost just as soon into a fuzzy yellow bunny. Tohru cuddled him and he, in return, just let himself be ravished by her affection.

As soon as Kyo got upstairs, he saw Stephen lying on the ground, and had realized he had assumed correctly. Stephen looked up, and began to laugh in a fairly evil way.

"Ahh, so it's the idiot up to protect his girl, huh? How sad."

"You aren't looking too great yourself, damn you." Kyo replied, and walked closer to the boy. As he knelt down to pick him up he looked back at Tohru's two best friends. He smirked at them.

"If I was you, I wouldn't stick around too long… Tohru's downstairs… She probably needs you." They nodded after Kyo's speech. Stephen tried to get up with his arm.

"Ooh, the idiot is trying to impress the ladies… He's too goddamn cool, isn't he? Man…" The boy began to chuckle and Kyo pressed him down to the ground. As the two girls went on to the floor below, Kyo picked up the boy.

"I can't believe you would do that to Tohru… I hate guys like you, who will do anything to get around… Go burn in hell!" Kyo shouted, as he tried to hook the guy on the left. Stephen though, seemed to be capable of blocking the shot with a swift change in position.

"Well, well. Aren't you cute, trying to be a hero and everything. Hey buster, let me ask you something; since when exactly is that lady yours, hm? If you take too long to reveal how you truly feel, someone else may just whisk her away." Stephen said, dodging a few more of Kyo's shots.

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted, enraged. Stephen laughed.

"Hey hey, I'm not worried at all. I see you're pretty good at martial arts as well… Maybe we could have a real duel later, after you've calmed down? Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes. So as I was saying, I had my chance to get her, she is an attractive young lady after all… So maybe I screwed up a little, yeah, what can I say, I was in need tonight. Maybe I went a little too hard at it. But really, stealing her away after you had just admitted that you had feelings was about the most hilarious thing in the world! Man, what a loser you are…" Stephen said, still expertly blocking all of his opponent's shots.

"What the hell is your problem, man!" Kyo felt tears stinging in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He felt like he did as he was a child. Everything being torn away from him, him being insulted, him taking the blame…

"Ah yes… Anyway, it doesn't matter now if you still want that little bitch. I've made my mark on her, and she will never truly be yours… Too bad." Kyo then saw Tohru folding laundry at Shigure's house, and looking up at Kyo who had been watching her from the balcony. The way she perked up when he entered the house. This guy was willing to hurt his sweet, innocent, Tohru? What kind of monster… Would want to do that?

'_And since when is Tohru… Mine?'_ Kyo thought to himself, which angered him even more. He swung his fists at the guy, who took according steps back.

"When you love someone… It can be difficult to protect them…" Kyo began, dodging the guy's every shot and trying to club him in the face with one of his fists.

"I'm… Beyond angry with you because of what you have done to her…" Kyo said, grunting as Stephen caught one of the orange haired male's fists.

"Yes, obviously…" Stephen replied smugly, as Kyo ripped his fist away from the other guy.

"But I don't care if some idiot such as yourself beat me to her! I wasn't in it just to get busy… I love Tohru for Tohru, and nothing will make me change my mind about that!" Kyo shouted, as he finally managed to hit Stephen straight on in the face. The American fell to the ground with a groan, and Kyo proceeded to pick him up by his shirt collar.

"My love will beat your play any old day, you ass." Kyo smirked as Stephen gulped what he thought would be his last breath of air.

"So what happened exactly?" Hatsuharu asked, as he glimpsed over at Tohru. She was crying hysterically, while a rabbit cuddled on her lap (sobbing as well) and Yuki gently held the girl's hand in his own. Isuzu sat near him on another chair in the room. Rin sighed and looked to the ground.

"I'm not totally sure… All I know is that it has something to do with that receptionist who greeted us the other evening… He harassed her on the elevator I guess, and somehow, that Hanajima instinctively knew about it… Next thing we knew, we were in the hallway comforting a hysterical Tohru and I was shoving my knee between that kid's legs…" She replied solemnly. Haru brought his knee up to his chin on the chair so he could rest upon it. He looked to Isuzu, then looked back at the ground.

"You're looking rather pretty in your nightgown…" Rin blushed deeply, which was something unusual for her to do. She looked in the opposite direction of Hatsuharu.

"… Now is not the time for that, Haru!" She whispered angrily, looking to Tohru sadly. Haru moved his chair next Rin's, so he could capture her hand in his own. He held it tightly, giving her strength. Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Haru and Yuki both rushed to it, to find a bloody nosed Kyo standing there.

"Kyo!" Yuki shouted out, seeing Kyo fall to his knees. Momiji also noticed a change in Tohru when the boy's name was pronounced. She immediately stopped crying, and quit petting Momiji. He looked up at her eyes, and instead of being the usual happy brown tone… They were gray.

'_I want you to be mine and no one else's…!'_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Another chapter done in record time. I have been having a whole lot of free time on my hands though... That will end though as of today. My free time is gone because of d school... Sadly, I cannot just ignore schoolwork (as one of my reviewers said, Hehe) and I will still try to update regularly, but I cannot promise anything._

_Thanks to all of you who came back to review my story, even after I was on hiatus for such a very long time. You've all been given a special note of thanks on my profile. _

_Please review if you get the chance, and until next chapter._


	13. Openly Against This, You

**CHAPTER 13: Openly Against This, You**

* * *

Yuki was amazed. Kyo was pretty strong (even though he would never match up to Yuki's strength) and for him to be in this state was probably because of something very painful… Either physical or emotional, or maybe both.

"Kyo…" Yuki simply muttered, in absolute shock. Haru looked to Yuki seriously.

"Let's bring him to the hospital." He stated, and Yuki looked back down at Kyo sadly. Kyo breathed heavily and groaned as he tried lifting himself up with his arm.

"I'm… I'm fine. I don't need… A hospital." He whispered, and collapsed onto the floor. Yuki and Haru both stared down at him.

"…Then let's bring him to the girl's room… So he can rest there." Yuki said, leaving Haru open mouthed. It was rare for Yuki to be so nice with Kyo, Haru couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Yuki blushed, and hushed Haru before he could say anything embarrassing as he put one of his white fingers to the other boy's lips.

"… If you speak now, you'll wake him." Yuki said, as they closed the door behind them. Haru simply nodded his head, and smiled at this new side of Yuki. Empathy for the lowest of beings. The doomed cat… Even Haru could not have that kind of feeling.

"Tohru-kun… Are you really alright?" Hanajima asked, extremely worried. Something had obviously been broken inside Tohru for an instant, but now, everything seemed to be back to normal…

"Yes! Everything is fine, of course."

Saki did not manage to say anything, but truly, Hana would have liked to ask Tohru some questions. _'Don't say everything is fine with a smile like that! Nothing is fine! Your smile is broken, and yet you still say everything is fine! Don't you see? We can all see it's not okay!' _But that would have hurt Tohru-chan, and that was the last thing Hanajima would have ever wanted. She looked to Uo-chan, who seemed to be having the same kind of thoughts.

Momiji was alone now. Not only during this moment, but the way he saw Tohru react before showed that he really was alone now. Never would Momiji be the one that she ran to for help. Never would Momiji be allowed to take in Tohru's scent in a way that he had just before. Never again would Tohru be considered no one's.

… Everyone was to understand that Tohru was _his_. It was sort of ironic that the horrible creature Kyo who was doomed to be imprisoned forever just so happened to have something now that Momiji could never ever have. Momiji would probably never show it to anyone, but he hated him. He truly _despised_ him.

"Kyo." Haru called out, as they sat near each other on the bed. Kyo furrowed his brows and buried his head in a pillow. Haru looked down at him, the looked straight ahead.

"What do you feel like eating?" Haru asked. It didn't sound much like a question though… It was more like an affirmation. Kyo looked up at him furiously, and Haru remained expressionless. Kyo went back down calmly on the bed.

"Nothing." Kyo said plainly, obviously wanting to be alone.

"Is there something else you wanted me to ask you?" Haru asked, unintentionally teasing Kyo. Kyo groaned, truly starting to get bothered.

"No, there is not Haru. Would you mind leaving me alone? You're _really _annoying!"

"I'm not _that_ annoying. It's just that you were annoyed before… Someone was bugging you." Haru replied calmly, stating the obvious. Kyo rolled his eyes and looked up at Haru angrily.

**"_You are that annoying!_"** Kyo cried out, hitting Haru on the head hard. Yuki was afraid Haru might become black Haru, but it didn't seem like he was, so there rally was no reason to call the police yet.

"You don't even hear me, do you." Haru said, taking Kyo's fist and placing the trembling member back where it was. Kyo dug his face into his pillow.

"I'm tired." Kyo said.

"So are we." Haru replied, bothering Kyo. Yuki noticed that Hatsuharu really seemed to have a talent at doing just that.

**"_Leave me alone_!** You don't have to feel… Sorry for me or anything. It's not like this is any different…" Kyo stopped, realizing that he would have said something he would have regretted. Haru smiled and patted the Cat on the back.

"Let's watch some TV, okay?"

**"_Shut up!"_** Kyo yelled, covering his ears with his pillow. Yuki reached for Haru's sleeve, a way of telling Haru subtly that maybe they should go, but Hatsuharu brushed it off. The buzz of the TV turning on seemed to bother Kyo's sensitive ears.

"Let's see… Oh! Look Yuki, some naked American women!" Hatsuharu said, happily throwing the remote on the bed. Yuki blushed and Kyo looked up from his hideout. Kyo was confused as he saw a children's cartoon.

"Gotcha… I had no idea you were such a hentai, Kyo." Hastuharu said slyly, as Kyo flushed a deep crimson and went back into his hiding place.

**"_Stop it, Haru!"_** Yuki and Kyo both yelled out. Haru took the remote in his hand and turned off the TV, the room regaining its dark silence.

"Don't run away." Haru began, and Yuki's eyes were glowing purple in the darkness. The red eyes looked up at Haru, frightened by this new tone of voice.

"Don't you _dare_ run away from something you already started. I'm younger than you, and even I know that." Kyo was about to reply, when Haru grabbed the boy's wrist tightly and stared him down.

"… _Or I'll kill you_." Kyo shook his wrist away and placed himself back into the pillow, trying to hide an expression.

"I understand."

"Then we're done here. Let's go, Yuki." Haru said, dragging a surprised Yuki with him. As he opened the door, he looked back at Kyo.

"Goodnight, kitty." He said, with a teasing grin spread across his face. Before Kyo could reply, he slammed the door.

When they were in the hallway, Yuki stopped Haru with a tug on his sleeve. Haru looked back at his friend curiously.

"Haru… Why?" Yuki asked, seeming shy to ask such a question. Haru chuckled and continued walking.

"Obviously because _you_ weren't going to do it." Once again, Yuki had to let out a sigh at Haru's answer. He always found a way to avoid the true object of the question. Yuki looked away, lightly blushing.

"Yuki… Do you want me to kiss you or something?" Yuki blushed to a pink.

"Wha- Haru what are you saying!" Yuki screamed out, realizing it was late and that people were probably sleeping. He covered his mouth politely with his hand. Haru seemed surprised.

"Oh. Well, I was just making sure." Haru said, grasping Yuki's hand in his own. Yuki blushed, as he did not like for there to be much physical contact between the two. For that matter, he did not like physical contact with much anyone.

"You don't make sense…" Yuki muttered, letting his hand be loosely squeezed by Haru's.

Arisa allowed her gaze to avert as Yuki and Haru walked in. Arisa had to admit to herself, even though the time was not right at all, that the pink blush that was spread across Yuki's cheeks was adorable. She blushed at the thought. Where was this type of thought suddenly coming from? Since when did Arisa Uotani turn into such a… _Softie?_

"Haru, I'm still trying to understand… What was that back there in the hallway? Why the hell would I want to be kissed by the likes of you!" Yuki asked, once the door was shut. Haru smirked and walked up to Isuzu.

"I'm not cheating on you, okay?" He told her, as he took her hand in a very gentlemanly way. He kissed it. She looked away.

"Haru, don't freak out Yuki, okay? He doesn't need that from you right now." Isuzu said sternly, grazing Hatsuharu's cheek affectionately with her fingertips. He longed for her touch.

"Okay." He began, walking towards Yuki. He grabbed the frail boy in his arms. Yuki blushed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Yuki-chan." Haru said, hugging him tighter. At that moment, Momiji flung himself into the room.

"Aww, how cute! Yun-chan, Haru-chan, you guys are _hugging_! Ne ne, can I join too?"

"H-Haru! Stop it! Don't call me… _Yuki-chan_!" Yuki stuttered. Haru welcomed Momiji into the circle, and Arisa was laughing.

"F-Funny! That is so funny! Let me get my camera, guys… Stay like that okay?" She walked into a part of the room, when suddenly, a tiny voice spoke out.

"What about… Kyo-kun?" Everyone stopped what they were doing to see streams of tears flowing down Tohru's cheeks. The room was absolutely silent, apart from the occasional sob coming from Tohru.

"What about Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked louder this time, and Saki grabbed the girl's hand gently, and brought it to her own face.

"Go see him if you like, Tohru-kun." Saki smiled honestly, perfectly understanding Tohru's gentle heart. She only wanted for Kyo to join in on the fun this time… Saki had a feeling though that even when Kyo was there, he wasn't actually part of the group.

Tohru got up off the bed, and Saki steadied the girl. They walked towards the door, and before Tohru exited the door, she looked back at each person with happiness overflowing out of her eyes.

"Thank you…" and the two girls walked out of the door. Everyone was silent for another few instants. Momiji was the first to speak up. Everyone had noticed is melancholic smile.

"Ne… Didn't Tohru look happy just then?" Immediately after Momiji's statement, the phone began to ring. Haru proceeded to answer it.

"…Yes?"

"Hey hey! It is Shi-chan, here to make an announcement!" Shigure screamed out on the phone, allowing almost everyone in the room to hear.

"Oh, hey Shigure-san." Haru breathed out, looking around the room.

"Aha! Yeah, so I' m calling you to say very simply… That Akito would like for you to all be back here by tomorrow… So you had better do it, right?" Shigure smiled devilishly as Akito sat in his lap. They were comfortably seated together in Akito's main room. He twisted a strand of her raven hair between fingers. Akito cooed happily.

"What a good doggie you are, obeying my every command. _If only you were this good every day_." Akito said, as she placed a kiss on the strong man's collarbone. He took no notice of it and continued to talk on the phone.

"Akito doesn't mind if your flight is tomorrow night. She wants you back tomorrow morning. Those are her orders." Shigure readjusted himself in his bench and Akito clung to him, a little annoyed.

"Of course, you could always disobey her orders. You should probably not show your face back here again though if you do that… _For a while anyway_." Shigure purred into the receiver, as Akito traced a circle with her index on Shigure's pectoral muscle. Shigure listened to the speaker on the phone for a while, and began to smirk.

"Haru, you are _so_ funny. So anyway, make sure the rest of you get Akito's message. Thanks! See you tomorrow." Shigure said finally, placing the phone back in its place. Akito traced Shigure's jaw line with her finger, and pursed her lips.

"What did Hatsuharu-chan say?" She asked, biting Shigure's lower lip forcefully. He groaned, and took her off his lap. She blinked, confused, and he slipped on his shoes and opened the door. He looked back with a smirk on his face.

"He said… _'You're sick to obey Akito's orders like this.'_ Funny, isn't it?" Shigure said, as let out a muffled chuckle. Akito stared at Shigure angrily.

"I don't like it when you play games with me like this. Come back." She said, patting the seat beside her, motioning for him to come back. Shigure smiled and closed the door, speaking loudly so she could hear him:

"_That's precisely why I do it."_

"You're kidding, right? Akito wants us back tomorrow? What is she up to now, I wonder…" Yuki asked Momiji and Hatsuharu, as the three boys sat in the washroom for privacy. The girls were sleeping in the boys' room, and they decided to sleep in the girls' room for tonight (because Kyo was already sleeping there). Momiji looked down at the sink, shaking his head.

"I don't know, but it's really not nice of Akito to do this to us… Maybe we just shouldn't go back… I mean, we might not even get a flight back, right?" Momiji asked, observing a tube of Isuzu's purple lipstick. Haru grabbed it from his hands and protected it possessively.

"Momiji, in case you hadn't noticed, the Sohma family is a rather wealthy family, and in a snap of our fingers we could get a flight. Akito-san would never believe it if we used that as an excuse." Hatsuharu replied sternly. Momiji looked down at his feet.

"Oh, how troublesome…" Momiji replied, letting out a huge sigh. Yuki placed a hand on Haru's shoulder and looked into the boy's eyes seriously.

"_I don't think we should go back_." Yuki said, pensively. The two other boys were shocked. It was unlike Yuki to be openly against Akito's orders.

"… Do you want me to check your temperature, Yuki?" Haru asked, as he rummaged through Isuzu's things, trying to find a thermometer. Yuki grabbed Haru's arm and lightly slapped his face with the other hand.

"… Why must you always say such _stupid_ things!" Yuki cried, crossing his arms across his chest. Haru sighed, and put down Isuzu's makeup kit. Someone suddenly knocked at the door.

"I'll get it…" Yuki said, a blush still spread across his cheeks. He reached for the doorknob and there stood Isuzu, her slender, tall figure not blending in with the surroundings. She pushed open the door.

"I couldn't sleep. Let me in."

"Uh… Yeah okay, sure…" Yuki said, embarrassed by the serious tone of Isuzu's voice. She always did sound serious like that, but he was always intimidated by it.

"Rin." Haru said, as he walked up to Isuzu. Yuki had always been amazed by that. Haru had not even seen Isuzu come in, yet he somehow knew it was her… Could he possibly sense her? Yuki wished he could find compatibility like that someday… He envied Haru for that.

"So what's the plan?" Rin asked, the boys knowing she was speaking about the Akito situation.

"Yuki said we should stay!" Momiji cried out, pointing at Yuki. Yuki blushed slightly, looking down at the ground.

"We really need a couple more days to get things organized…" He said, looking over at sleeping Kyo. Rin looked over Yuki's shoulder, and smiled slightly.

"I'd have to agree… It's probably the least we can do… For Tohru." Everyone smiled as Isuzu said that. Everyone agreed that disobeying Akito was worth it if it was for Tohru.

"Right," Yuki murmured, nodding his head, "So… _How shall we do this?"_

* * *

_Hentai: A pervert._

_Wow. Ok. I've finally done another chapter. Thank you heavens for giving me the time! This was really a rushed chapter, so I'm sorry._

_Please, review! Thanks for reading! ;)_


	14. Relationship Tango

**CHAPTER 14: Relationship Tango**

* * *

Light poured into the normally dreary room, and Shigure was ravished by it. He gently removed Akito's arms from his sides, and ran his fingers through her hair lovingly. He then tucked her into the futon blankets, and as he began to tiptoe out the door, her raven eyes flew open and she spotted him angrily.

"Shigure, you want to leave me all alone?" She demanded in a most terrible tone. Shigure was used to this type of tone from her, though.

"Akito-san, you know very well that I have a home to take care of. If I could stay here with you," as Shigure continued babbling uselessly, Akito rose quickly in her futon and interrupted him.

"Stop teasing!" She said, lifting a beautiful glass vase of water lilies and throwing it in his direction. He dodged it easily, and looked at her much more seriously now.

"Akito-san, everything cannot always go your way in a relationship." He replied to her flustered stare. She blushed angrily.

"Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it, and stop that!" She screamed, upsetting Shigure's sensitive ears, and making him close the sliding door. He then went to sit beside Akito coldly, and she looked up at him, breathing heavily.

"I'm very sorry, Akito-san."

"You had best be! Leaving your God alone… The thought of it enrages me!" She had not actually meant to say that last part and the Goddess looked a little shocked by it.

"I've noticed that." Shigure said, smiling. He knew she felt childish about all this. She had never really properly been raised, anyway. How could she know what was acceptable and unacceptable? He liked that aspect of Akito very much. It kind of made her an experiment for him.

Akito's eyes drifted away from Shigure's face, and she breathed heavily for a few more moments. When she had finished catching her breath, she continued to stare on at the stained pillow.

"Make sure they're here. I want to see Yuki-chan." Akito demanded, as Shigure got up and grabbed the telephone receiver. He called his own house, expecting to hear a scowling Kyo, a sleepy Yuki or even cheery Tohru. But none of those voices came to him. Only his own voice, as he directed the caller to leave a message after the "beep". He smiled slightly, and hung up the phone. Akito looked at him inquisitively.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked. He chuckled.

"Wouldn't I seem silly answering someone who isn't there?" Shigure continued on smiling, and Akito's eyes widened with fury.

"Lalala" Momiji sang his new song as he rubbed the fragrant soap all over his body. Last night was a horrible night for him, what with the memory of Tohru crying and then those gray, lifeless eyes… He thought maybe the soap would erase all the bad things, but it wasn't working. He let out a huge sigh and sat down in the bath tub sadly, the shower nozzle spraying restlessly at him. Tohru was someone so precious to Momiji… In fact, Tohru was Momiji's only real friend. When he saw those troubled eyes last night, it was obvious to him that Kyo had admitted his romantic interest to her in some way. Momiji wouldn't say he was necessarily romantically inclined towards Tohru, but if given the opportunity, those kinds of feelings might have bloomed. He knew Kyo would never ever hurt Tohru, but he wanted to be the person there for Tohru-chan, because she was there when he desperately needed someone… Maybe it was egotistical of him, but he wished he could have had the happy ending for once. A tear trickled down his cheek, but it went unnoticed because of the shower water pouring down onto him. He smiled as he sniveled, and got back up.

"Thanks, nozzle…" He said, gently touching the nozzle with his fingertips. He wouldn't let anyone see his hurting… Not even himself.

The men had all gone back into their room last night, careful to not wake up the sleeping cat. Now, Yuki lay on the bed, looking up at Haru who had just gotten up. Hatsuharu rubbed his sleepily, and looked surprised as the rat lay there, looking up at him.

"Yuki. Hey." He said, making Yuki smile slightly. Yuki checked to make sure Kyo was still sleeping, and looked back at Haru.

"Haru… She's really his now, isn't she?" Yuki whispered, and Haru looked shocked.

"Yuki, it's…" Hatsuharu was interrupted by Yuki placing his hand upon Haru's.

"No, it's fine. I'm just asking to make sure. Is she really?" He asked, his voice still a low whisper. Haru looked down at Yuki's hand upon his own, and Yuki removed it uneasily.

"Err, sorry," Yuki began, blushing a little. It made Haru smile, and Haru urged him to explain why he was so alright with this situation. "I thought about all this last night, and realized that I would only burden Honda- I mean, Tohru-san if I were to express my feelings for her."

"Yuki, you'd never burden her with what you have to say. You know that." Haru replied quickly, checking to see peacefully sleeping Kyo.

"Well, yes… I mean, no! This would burden her. It's clear to me she's already unconsciously made her choice, and I don't want to get in her way. I know, I know, you're going to say 'You wouldn't burden her' again, but really, I'm somehow not… Jealous anymore." Haru's eyes widened and Yuki chuckled.

"You see, Kyo has absolutely no one. I know, it makes sense, because he's the cat and he's damned to have no one and to live a lonely life, but what if Kyo was the exception to that rule? What if finally, someone loves the cat for who he is, and wants to spend the rest of their life with him?" Yuki explained, leaving Haru dumbfounded.

"What if… This is Kyo's only chance at happiness?" Yuki finished, leaving Hatsuharu's mouth agape. Yuki sighed, and looked at Haru's eyes angrily.

"Haru, don't get me wrong, he's the dumbest person there is and I hate his guts to death. I also am jealous if he's going to get someone I was after… But I guess I see Tohru in more of a motherly figure, now that I truly think about it… And if she's in love with the idiot, is there anything I can do anyway?" Yuki finished this with a smirk, and Haru grabbed Yuki hand and placed a kiss onto his hand smoothly.

"Don't worry Yuki, I'll be your prince." Haru chuckled as Yuki threw the boy back onto his own bed with a crimson blush on his cheeks. As they wrestled, Hatsuharu looked sweetly into Yuki's eyes and prepared to tell him something.

"I like this side of you." Hatsuharu said simply, and it seemed as though there was a much more powerful message implied. Sheets were then thrown onto his face.

"… Don't get too used to it." Yuki said, as Momiji bounced out of the bathroom. Kyo, who everyone though was asleep, hid under his comforter with a pink hue to his face.

"Hana-chan, we need to talk." Uotani said, as she closed the bathroom door. Saki sat calmly on the toilet seat in her black silk pajamas, and Arisa slowly slid down on the wall.

"Damn it… I think I've fallen for the prince." Arisa said, covering her face in her palms with embarrassment. Saki smiled slowly, and placed a hand on Arisa's womanly shoulder.

"Why do you damn this thought?" Saki asked, as Arisa let her hands fall from her face. Uotani then looked up at her dark friend, despaired.

"Well… Because… It's so damn strange!" Arisa said, hitting the bathtub and cursing under her breath. Saki smiled strangely.

"Well, I think it's rather cute."

"Hana-chan!" Arisa cried, blushing.

They all met downstairs near the elevator. Everyone had different reactions; Momiji was smiling, but seemed a little down; Tohru was cheerful, and no one could certainly decode what exactly she was thinking; Hana kept teasing Arisa about something, and Arisa seemed to be very uneasy about it; Rin and Haru kept throwing each other furtive but loving glances, and looked around at the group; Yuki was smiling happily, which was pretty rare; and Kyo was conscious he was being ignored in a strange way by everyone but Tohru.

"Ohayo, Kyo-kun." She said politely, blushing horribly as she walked up to him. Kyo looked down at her, and smiled gently.

"Hi Tohru-kun."

"Did Stephen…" She began slowly, after a long pause. He hushed her with an apt finger, and they went back with the group.

'_Kyo-kun… Are you angry? What are you feeling right now…?'_ Tohru thought, as she looked up at the smiling boy.

"OHAYOOO! So, I've arranged for everyone's luggage to be sent to another place, okay? This is so that we don't have to lug it around with us all day. Today, we have a really cool schedule planned for our last day in lovely New York! First, we'll go shopping and have lunch in one of the restaurants. Then, we'll go see a broadway show. And afterwards, to finish off the lovely day, we'll eat near the Empire State building and then take the elevator _alllll_ the way to the top!" He then moved a little closer to Tohru, and grabbed hold of her hand.

"Tohru, it's _reaaally_ high up. Ne, if I get really scared, can I hold your hand?" He asked sweetly, and she began to giggle.

"Of course, Momiji-kun! Although it will probably be me who will be scared…" She said, blushing, and everyone laughed. She looked at all their happy faces, and began to laugh as well. So maybe there were problems with the current relationships she had with Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and some of the others. But with them all together, she was sure they would figure it out, and have a good time doing it too.

* * *

_Ohayo: it's the shortened version of '_Ohayo gozaimasu'_, a more polite way of saying good morning in Japanese._

_WOAH! How long has it been since I last updated? Three months, maybe four? Anyway. I know this is a short chapter, but it's all I could come up with for now. The next chapter will be filled with comic relief, don't worry. I know this was a very emotional chapter… Thanks to anyone who take the time to read this, and to review it too. Thanks to all of you for my 76 reviews. It makes me so glad, you have no idea! _

_Until next time._


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